Press conference: “Decoupling economic growth from air pollution and climate change" (Green Week)

“Decoupling economic growth from air pollution and climate change"

PRESS CONFERENCE

World Environment Day – Wednesday, 5 June 2013, 18:00-19:00

The EGG Conference Centre, Rue Bara 175‎, Brussels, Belgium – in the “Press debriefing” room

Decoupling economic growth from air pollution and climate change

Humanity is facing a serious challenge: ensuring the resource needs of our economy and of a growing human population without depleting scarce resources, while at the same time addressing issues such as climate change and air pollution.

Low carbon technologies are promising developments for decoupling economic growth from air pollution and climate change but how sustainable are GHG mitigation techniques really when taking into account their implications in increasing the demand of metals, land and water?

This Press Conference organized by UNEP’s International Resource Panel (IRP) will announce some of the key results from its most recent publications and from its newest assessment, to be published in 2014, which focuses on the risks and trade-offs of low-carbon technologies for electricity production.

Invited participants:

·         Prof. Jacqueline McGlade, member of the International Resource Panel

·         Prof. Edgar Hertwich, member of the International Resource Panel

·         Prof. Ester van der Voet, member of the International Resource Panel

·         Mr. Arab Hoballah, SCP Chief, UNEP DTIE

About the UNEP-hosted International Resource Panel

The International Resource Panel was established in 2007 to provide independent, coherent and authoritative scientific assessment on the sustainable use of natural resources and the environmental impacts of resource use over the full life cycle.

By providing up-to-date information and the best science available, the International Resource Panel contributes to a better understanding of how to decouple human development and economic growth from environmental degradation. The information contained in the International Resource Panel's reports is intended to be policy relevant and support policy framing, policy and programme planning, and enable evaluation and monitoring of policy effectiveness.

The Panel is grateful for the strong and continuous support from the European Union through the Strategic Cooperation Agreement signed between UNEP and the Directorate General Environment under the Thematic Programme for Environment and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including Energy (ENRTP).

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