Recession as catalyst for green growth

The current financial crisis may serve as a catalyst for greener energy in the Baltic Sea Region. Governments should target stimulus packages more directly towards climate-friendly energy projects, for example, a process that would generate growth and jobs at the same time as it improved the climate.
Investment in green growth has been called for by a parliamentary Climate and Energy Working Group comprising members from throughout the Baltic Sea Region.

The Group, set up by the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference (BSPC), presented its proposals in Berlin on Tuesday. The report contains recommendations to governments in the region, including steps to take in the run-up to the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December. The Group's main message is that carbon emissions must be reduced, the share of renewable energy sources increased and energy used more efficiently.

As part of a climate-friendly energy policy the Group has called for an expansion of offshore wind power and a more uniform electricity grid throughout the region. At present, a great deal of energy is wasted by poor insulation, so improvements to existing buildings are also high on the Group's list of priorities.

The Climate Group is also calling for investments in training in green-energy planning for officials at both local and regional level in the region.

The BSPC Climate and Energy Working Group consists of MPs from a number of organisations around the Baltic Sea, including the Nordic Council, which is represented by two members of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee: Ann-Kristine Johansson (Sweden) and Ivar Kristiansen (Norway).

The Group, which was set up in autumn 2007, will present its report to the annual meeting of the Baltic Sea Conference to be held in Nyborg, Denmark, in late August/early September

The BSPC website: http://www.bspc.net/