International Renewable Energy Agency to be established in January

PNND member Herman Scheer MdB, driving force behind the International Renewable Energy Agency

On October 24, the governments of Germany, Spain and Denmark announced that an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) would be formally established in Bonn on 26 January 2009.

In a statement released at the IRENA Final Preparatory Conference in Madrid, the three countries said that:

"Climate change, rising energy prices, dependency on energy imports, poverty and hunger are serious challenges for mankind. Renewable energies have the proven potential to address these challenges. But even though the potential is huge and many countries want to move into a less fossil fuel dependent future, the diffusion and adoption of renewable energies still faces severe barriers and obstacles. Acting as the global voice for renewable energies, IRENA will provide practical advice and support for both industrialised and developing countries, help them improve their regulatory frameworks and build capacity."

51 states from different regions meeting in Madrid discussed a Statute (Treaty) of the International Renewable Energy Agency which would guide the work of the new agency.

PNND member Dr Hermann Scheer, the driving force behind the initiative, believes that IRENA is necessary not only to assist countries reduce fossil fuels, but also to provide an alternative to nuclear energy which poses nuclear-weapon proliferation risks as well as risks to health and the environment. In a letter to PNND members, Dr Scheer called on parliamentarians to encourage their governments to join IRENA and to shift the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty’s energy emphasis away from nuclear energy and towards proliferation-benign, environmentally-sound and sustainable renewable energy technologies. Dr Scheer also invites parliamentarians to attend the IRENA founding conference on January 26 in Bonn, and has drafted a Model parliamentary resolution on IRENA to build awareness and support in parliaments.

For more information see: Nuclear Energy: The answer to Climate Change or a recipe for weapons proliferation? Dr Herman Scheer. PNND Notes 2008.