The International Energy Agency (IEA) har released an excerpt from the forthcoming World Energy Outlook 2009.
Danish Minister of Climate and Energy Connie Hedegaard has these comments to the statement made by the IEA:
“The IEA clearly states that the world needs a binding international climate agreement. The longer we postpone action, the more expensive it will be. The IEA estimates the extra costs for each year of inaction to roughly 500 billion dollars. That is why the world need to act now,” says the host of COP15, Danish minister of climate and energy Connie Hedegaard.
“However, it is uplifting that the IEA estimates the benefits from turning on to a greener path to be tremendous. The benefits of energy savings, reduced fuel imports and air quality improvements offset much of the cost, not to mention the fact that this will help to prevent the dangerous consequences of climate change,” Connie Hedegaard states.
“The fact that the financial crisis has given us a temporary relief and according to the IEA will lead to a fall by three percent in global CO2-emmissions in 2009 must not become a reason not to act. On the contrary the crisis is an additional opportunity to start out on the path towards a greener and more sustainable society. It is obvious beyond doubt that business as usual is not an option,” says Connie Hedegaard.
The excerpt from IEA can be found here.