• See also Joint Science Academies' G8 Statement on Avian Influenza and Infectious Diseases

Download Statement with Recommendations here.

G8 countries bear a special responsibility for the current high level of energy consumption, and should play a leading role in assuring global energy sustainability and security. The national science academies of the G8 nations and Brazil, China, India and South Africa, have signed a statement on this issue.

The statement calls on all countries of the world, especially those meeting at the G8 summit in July 2006, to cooperate in identifying common strategic priorities for sustainable and secure energy systems, in implementing actions towards those strategic priorities, and to:

• Articulate the reality and urgency of global energy security concerns
• Plan for the massive infrastructure investments, and lead times required for a transition to clean, affordable and sustainable energy systems
• Intensify cooperation with developing countries to build their domestic capacities to use existing and innovative energy systems and technologies, including transfer of technologies
• Promote by appropriate policies and economic instruments the development and implementation of cost-competitive, environmentally beneficial, and market acceptable clean fossil, nuclear, and renewable technologies
• Ensure, in cooperation with industry, that technologies are developed and implemented and actions taken to protect energy infrastructures from natural disasters, technological failures, and human actions
• Address the serious inadequacy of R&D funding and provide incentives to accelerate advanced energy-related R&D, also in partnership with private companies
• Implement education programs to increase public understanding of energy challenges, and to provide for energy-related expertise and engineering capabilities
• Focus governmental research and technology efforts on energy efficiency, non-conventional hydrocarbons and clean coal with CO2 sequestration, innovative nuclear power, distributed power systems, renewable energy sources, biomass production, biomass and gas conversion for fuels.

Source: The Royal Society

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