Q: Why did the Secretary-General create an initiative focused on energy?

Sustainable energy is the golden thread weaving together the three strands of sustainable development: the economy, equity and the environment. It is essential for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Energy is a key concern for every country. The Secretary-General launched the Sustainable Energy for All initiative at a time when governments are hungry for solutions that drive economic growth, expand opportunity, focus efforts on poverty reduction and protect our environment. This initiative can provide such solutions.

Q: What has the initiative achieved thus far?

We see progress on many fronts. From scaled-up production of solar powered lamps ... to increased corporate financing for energy efficiency... to grassroots training programs on renewables. This initiative involves all key stakeholders working together in common cause.

Significant momentum continues to build:

-- We have strong leadership from the Secretary-General and active support by governments from Africa to the E.U., the U.S. to Small Island Developing States;

-- More than 50 developing countries are now working with the initiative, with more coming on board;

-- More than $50 billion has been mobilized from the private sector and investors;

-- Tens of billions of dollars have been committed by multi-lateral development banks in Asia, Europe and Latin America;

-- Hundreds of actions and commitments have been catalyzed in support the three core objectives;

-- Commitments to support energy access will provide more than one billion people with access to modern energy during the lifespan of the initiative;

-- New public-private partnerships are forming on transport, energy efficiency, solar cooking, and finance.

It is important to note that these commitments to Sustainable Energy do not replace previous ODA pledges made by governments. Those pledges must be honored. This initiative is about catalyzing additional action.

Q: Who is involved in the initiative?

Sustainable Energy for All is a multi-stakeholder effort that aims to mobilize governments, the private sector and civil society to make transformational changes in the world's energy system. The Global Action Agenda for the initiative charts a way forward and provides tangible entry points for all stakeholders interested in taking action in specific areas of interest.

The Secretary-General created a High-Level Group of distinguished global leaders from around the world to help guide the initiative. The High-Level Group works to mobilize a broad range of stakeholders who can catalyze commitments and form partnerships in support of sustainable energy for all. It is chaired by two leading figures from business and public service, Charles Holliday, Chairman of Bank of America, and Kandeh Yumkella, Chair of UN-Energy and Director-General of the UN Industrial Development Organization.

Q: What are the initiative's objectives?

The Secretary-General has set three ambitious but achievable objectives for the initiative, all to be achieved by 2030: (1) to ensure universal access to modern energy services; (2) to double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and (3) to double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix. In achieving sustainable energy for all, we can strengthen economic growth, expand equity and opportunity, and protect the environment for long-term prosperity.

Q: How were these objectives determined?

This initiative brings together all three pillars of sustainable development, economic, social and environmental. Achieving each of the three objectives would realize multiple, substantial benefits to countries, companies and society.

With a goal of boosting economic growth, improving social equity and preserving the environment in mind, the Secretary-General developed the objectives building on outcomes of many international gatherings such as the World Summit in Sustainable Development and the recent General Assembly resolution to establish the 2012 International Year of Sustainable Energy for All. He also considered the recommendations of his Advisory Group on Energy and Climate Change from 2010.

Q: If the world achieved these targets, would it stay under 2°C in global temperature rise, as agreed to in Cancun?

Reaching the Secretary-General's objectives by 2030 would be consistent with keeping the average global temperature increase below 2°C, but we also need to do more, above and beyond these sustainable energy efforts. Agriculture and forestry also contribute very substantially to greenhouse gas emissions. We need to take a comprehensive approach to climate mitigation, including energy.

Q: How does the initiative define "sustainable energy"?

Sustainable energy is energy that is produced and used in ways that will support long-term human development in all its social, economic and environmental dimensions.

Renewable energy is generally considered to include resources that are continually replenished by natural forces – e.g., sun, wind, water, and the heat of the earth. We need to urgently maximize the use of renewable energy, but it will take decades to reach its global potential.

Q: Does this initiative take a position on the issue of fossil fuel subsidies?

As called for by the G-20 and recently reaffirmed by the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), we should phase out harmful and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption and undermine sustainable development. It is essential that this be done carefully, and that the removal of the subsidies not negatively impact the poorest and most vulnerable members of society.

Q: How does the initiative define "energy access"?

The IEA defines modern energy access as "a household having reliable and affordable access to clean cooking facilities, a first connection to electricity and then an increasing level of electricity consumption over time to reach the regional average."

Q: When you say "doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency" and "doubling the share of renewable energy", what numbers is this "doubling" based on?

There are a variety of ways to quantify improvements. For example, with regard to efficiency, on a global level, energy intensity can be one of the measures of how much energy is needed to produce a unit of economic value. A doubling of the global improvement rate would imply a 2.4 percent annual efficiency gain by 2030 – compared to 1.2 percent from 1970 to 2008, according to the forthcoming Global Energy Assessment (GEA) from the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis.

With regard to renewables, according to the International Energy Agency's (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2011, the current share of renewables globally is 15%. Doubling that share globally by 2030 would imply that renewable energy must increase to about 30% of final energy demand.

Q: How much will it cost to achieve the Secretary-General's objectives?

The International Energy Agency estimates that $48 billion per year is needed to provide universal energy access by 2030. This is significant, but feasible. After all, it represents only 3% of global annual capital investment in energy.

Compare that to the substantial co-benefits from access to modern energy services. Clearly, the return on investment dwarfs the up-front expenditure. Benefits include: cleaner, safer, more sustained economic growth; better public health and lower mortality rates from cleaner air; a reduction in poverty; and a reduction in the risks from climate change.

The cost of doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency and the global share of renewable energy would each cost about $500 billion per year, according to the Global Energy Assessment.

While these sums are substantial, the return on investment would be significantly higher. For example, the McKinsey Global Institute estimated in 2008 that investing $170 billion annually in energy efficiency worldwide could produce energy savings of up to $900 billion per year.

Q: Given the global economic downturn, where will you get the money for such an ambitious initiative?

Both public and private sector sources will be needed, but the private sector is where most of the funds can and should come from. Public financing is a much smaller piece of the overall pie, but it is essential to catalyze and leverage much greater private investment flows. New and innovative sources of finance are another possibility that the High Level Group on Sustainable Energy for All may consider.

The real issue is political: Governments need to make sustainable energy a top priority. This means mobilizing public support for the goal, as well as encouraging the private sector to innovate and invest.