International Day of Clean Energy 26 January

Solar energy is the most abundant of all energy resources and can even be harnessed in cloudy weather.
Photo:Raphael Pouget/UNICEF

Clean energy: for all…
Energy lies at the core of a double challenge: leaving no one behind and protecting the Planet. And clean energy is crucial to its solution.

In a world grappling with climate change, clean energy plays a vital role in reducing emissions, and can also benefit communities lacking access to reliable power sources. Still today, 685 million people live in the dark – more than 80 per cent of them in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The connection between clean energy, socio-economic development, and environmental sustainability is crucial in addressing issues faced by vulnerable communities worldwide.

For populations without clean energy access, the lack of reliable power hinders education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, and many of these developing regions still rely heavily on polluting fossil fuels for their daily life, perpetuating poverty. If current trends continue, by 2030 around 1.8 billion people will still use unsafe, unhealthy and inefficient cooking systems, such as burning wood or dung.

Although this situation has generally been improving, the most recent figures show that the number of people without electricity actually increased by 10 million in 2022, as population growth outpaced progress. The world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030.

… and for our planet
But adopting clean energy is integral to the fight against climate change, as well.

A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the Sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas) to generate electricity and heat.

The science is clear: to limit climate change, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable. Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air.

At the same time, improving energy efficiency is key. Using less energy for the same output – through more efficient technologies in the transport, building, lighting, and appliances sectors for instance: saves money, cuts down on carbon pollution, and helps ensure universal access to sustainable energy for all.

Background

The International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared by the General Assembly (resolution A/77/327) as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet.

26 January is also the founding date of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a global intergovernmental agency established in 2009 to support countries in their energy transitions, serve as a platform for international cooperation, and provide data and analyses on clean energy technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment.

Did you know?
Coal, oil, and gas (fossil fuels) are responsible for nearly 90% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
Scientists emphasize the need to cut emissions by almost half by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050 to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Fossil fuels still dominate global energy production, but renewable sources of energy, such as wind, solar, hydro, and geothermal, now power about 29% of electricity worldwide.

 

Read more here: https://www.un.org/en/observances/clean-energy-d

 

OPEC meets in Vienna this week

APBest calls for broader participation in managing OPEC from its members. Too long has been the control or micromanaging style, which must taper down, if not end. These were Antonio A. Ver’s statements on the eve of the meetings. Speaking from London, Ver is Founder of APBest in 2008.

Setting the record straight

This is regarding Dr. Laurence Delina’s commentary, “The case for an Asean Energy Union” (11/14/17).

Asean’s energy sector is well-established through the Asean Centre for Energy (ACE) in 1999. Its vision: “The Centre as catalyst for the economic growth and integration of the Asean region by initiating and facilitating multilateral collaborations as well as joint and collective activities on energy.” The mission: “ACE shall accelerate the integration of energy strategies within Asean by providing relevant information and expertise to ensure the necessary energy policies and programmes are in harmony with the economic growth and the environmental sustainability of the region.”

The 35th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (Amem), and Asean Energy Business Forum (AEBF) were held in the Philippines in September 2017. The first-ever in regional electricity was the signing of the Energy Purchase and Wheeling Agreement with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Laos. Soon, a natural gas platform is seen among Indonesia and member-countries. In 18 years, Amem and AEBF have expanded into the Asean Plus Three of China, Japan and South Korea. Moreover, Asean countries, through ACE, have fostered coherent relationships with global energy organizations like the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, International Energy Agency, and International Renewable Energy Agency. As early as 2003, Asean was an observer organization in the Brussels-based Energy Charter Conference.

Maybe this letter will be helpful to Dr. Delina in exploring the region’s vast energy field.

ANTONIO A. VER, President and CEO, H&WB Asia Pacific (Pte Ltd) Corp.

Global Strategist Dr. Parag Khanna Presents Copy of Latest Book to Phl Ambassador to Singapore

Book Singapore PE Global Civ 1

18 July 2017 SINGAPORE — Leading global strategist and best-selling author Dr. Parag Khanna visited the Philippine Embassy in Singapore on Monday, July 10 where he presented to Ambassador Antonio A. Morales a copy of his book “Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization”. Dr. Khanna is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre on Asia and Globalization at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is also the Managing Partner of Hybrid Reality and Co-Founder & CEO of Factotum, a leading content branding agency. Also in photo are Atty. Angelo Jimenez, Member of the UP Board of Regents, and Mr. Antonio Ver, CEO of H&WB Asia Corp.

Regent Jimenez is President, and Mr. Ver is Founder, respectively, of Asia Pacific Basin.

CLICK HERE for the actual press release from the Official Website of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

 

 

Trustees, Officers for 2016-2017

With the recent announcement naming APBest Chairman Benjamin E. Diokno, PhD, as Secretary of Budget and Management under the new government of the Philippines, APBest’s Board of Trustees resolved on June 2, 2016 that Dr. Diokno be Chairman Emeritus. He was former Chairman and President of the Philippine National Oil Company in late President Corazon Aquino’s term, and was also Secretary of Budget and Management during the presidency of Joseph Estrada. Read more