Opening Ceremony Speech by Former Togolese Prime Minister Edem Kodjo

My theme is “Strategic Thinking for the protection of the urban environment, energy conservation and reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases, the exploration and use of new energy sources”.

Behind these statements, it is the question of human survival on our planet. Our various projections of the coming decades suggest a disaster, given the current damage that we have caused and the consequences of which now seem all too predictable.

Another reason for our anxiety comes from the common and recurring reminders and violence of nature. We still recall the appalling earthquake in Haiti, torrential rains in Mexico, devastating mudslides in Portugal and the melting of the polar ice capsevents in which we seem to be “powerless” witnesses. The consequence of all this is palpable rising waters and tsunamis whose tragic experiences of Sumatra and Aceh in Indonesia, are permanently etched in our memories and raise serious questions we must answer. If human does not respond, it means at least the destruction of the economic fabric of our countries, at worst, the destruction of life on Earth. Former US Vice President Al Gore, in the documentary entitled “An Inconvenient Truth”, demonstrates forcefully that all signals are at red and that humanity and life on Earth are hanging by a thread, if by behavior we continue to accelerate global warming.

Protection of the Urban Environment

The growth of population in cities―Beijing in 2010 has 19 million inhabitants, New York 26 million, Cairo 16 million, Lagos 12.5 million, Rio 12 million, Paris 12 million (all in round figures)―is accompanied by various requirements that municipal authorities are facing. They have to respond to such primary and practical needs as housing, transportation, employment, treatment of domestic and industrial waste, the production of drinking water, etc. New technologies allow us to propose various solutions. But solutions based on definite situations, unfortunately, is not without brutal consequences for the environment. How to make the difficult choice between food, clothing, comfortable living and protection of nature?

There is really not much choice, and we must do both simultaneously, with discernment and a lot more wisdom than hitherto. Every choice we make must reflect the will to take care of nature and our environment, even the planet. Some subjects such as quality of the air we breathe, the mode of agricultural production, safe drinking water we provide to people, the type of insulation material or ventilation we use in the construction of our homes are concerns that must now guide the urban projects, from conception to realization. Are plastics, glass and paper that we use everyday recyclable? Will the exhaust gases from our cars and electric appliances saturate the urban environment?

City life in future will, of course, be different from now. We must learn to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Conserving Energy and Reducing Emissions of Greenhouse Gases

The international community, through the Kyoto Protocol that 182 countries have ratified, has set a target of the reduction of six kinds of greenhouse gases as below:

―Carbon dioxide,

―Methane

―Protoxyde of azote,

―Hydrofluocarbons,

―Sulfur hexafluoride

―Perfluorocarbons

Indeed, according to the World Meteorological Organization, nine of the ten warmest years in the world since 1860 have occurred since 1990. Global warming is not inevitable, and even less the effect of the anger of gods. It can be controlled.

Reducing energy consumption is the most effective way to reduce GHG emissions, which would add to financial gains. In this regard, acts as simple and practical as to be taken now in our homes and our workplaces: using energy saving light bulbs under 60 watts, modernizing our heating installations, not using the instant water boilers except when really necessary, washing the dishes in the sink, not under running water, and trying to plug in the electrical equipment only when necessary as a computer needs about 150 watts to run and printers are even more greedy, using about 300 watts. If possible use the stairs instead of the elevator, and take advantage of natural light as much as possible. This should be done immediately since every bit counts.

It is also recognized in many industrialized countries that the automobile is the biggest polluter, followed closely by industry. It is also established by rigorous studies, that the auto pollutants have an impact on health. Thus, dioxins are the basis of the occurrence of cancers, sulfates the cardiovascular diseases, nitrates the respiratory diseases, and ozone the mortality, respiratory diseases and irritation of the eye.

According to the OECD, two-thirds of the efforts need to be made in environmental technology. The manufacture of hybrid (gasoline-electric) automobile is part of the current solutions and more and more automobile manufacturers with competitive imagination will come to conquer this new market. The ultimate invention is a 100% electric car with 0% emission of carbon monoxide. Although it is not yet popular among consumers, it is economical, with less pollution and is surely one of the perspectives that we can already celebrate. That is one reason that encourages the exploration and use of new technologies to continue.

The Exploration and Use of New Technologies

We know about the fossil energy, such as coal, oil and natural gas, the three raw materials from living matter, plant or animal. Today, nuclear energy is one way to meet demand even though for many it remains a last resort.

Everyone is aware of the need to invest in green energy to deal with the free movement of people, which induces a need for mobility and growing energy demand. There is in this area a vast field of opportunities and choice: solar power, wind power, hydropower to name just a few. We need the real involvement of policy makers to choose a different orientation of future development. Therefore, instead of an urban transport policy which increases the expressways around our cities, we should give priority to railways, water-borne transport, tramcars and public transport service.

Africa is not excluded from this fight. With the support of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Regional Center for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (RCREEE), a specialized agency of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) was founded on July 6, 2010 in Cape Verde.

Yoshiteru Uramoto, Deputy Director General of UNIDO, said, “The current energy system in ECOWAS cannot meet the growing demand of 262 million inhabitants of the region, particularly the needs of the poorest. The creation of this center is a key step in the efforts to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and the energy efficiency technologies throughout the region. Investing in renewable energy and applying energy efficiency technologies will contribute to economic and social development of the region, while preserving the environment. ”

Ladies and gentlemen, with six billion people on the planet and more and more people moving into cities rather than rural areas, it’s not a choice but something we should be conscious and deal with wisely with existing ways, while we are thinking about our children, their children’s children and all those generations who have not yet but will surely be born on whichever the continent you are and wherever on earth.