Rijksvoorlichtingsdienst
Het Koninklijk Huis
Toespraak door de Prins van Oranje bij het seminar Energy Efficiency and
Sustainability, ter gelegenheid van het staatsbezoek aan Mexico, 4 november
2009
De toespraak is uitgesproken in het Engels.
Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
First, I would like to thank all of you for participating in today's
seminar. I would also like to extend a special word of thanks to our
Mexican hosts. It is an honour to be here today. In a way, this
seminar shows just how far we have come on our way to a new,
low-carbon energy future. New technology, new partnerships, a truly
global approach to the problem of climate change: this is what I see
emerging. We have also measured - as far as we could - the distance we
still have to go. Let's take encouragement from the fact that we are
on this road together, and that we are indeed moving ahead. Energy
efficiency is an issue that is particularly close to my heart. There
are several reasons for that.
First of all, it is a subject that touches upon our daily lives. In
order to be more energy-efficient, we must critically re-appraise how
we live and the choices we make. Everybody needs to be aware of the
extreme effects of climate change and the urgency with which we must
deal with them. And everybody needs to be involved in finding
sustainable solutions. This, I believe, is crucial to bringing about
positive change: a low carbon economy should start at grass-roots
level.
Second, energy efficiency is about our production methods. How we
deal, or fail to deal, with our planet's mineral reserves. Precious
natural resources merit careful treatment. We need to be in awe of
nature, not see it as our right to abuse it. That is a basic starting
point.
Mexican history can teach us a lesson here. As we now find ourselves
in the one-time capital of the mighty Aztec empire, perhaps we can
spend a few moments taking a closer look at the Aztecs, the true
'children of the sun'. Aztec culture is about respecting and revering
nature. The famous Aztec pyramids of the sun and moon in Teotihuacan
still attract thousands and thousands of tourists every year. The
Queen, my wife and I look forward to visiting them on Friday. The
Aztecs built their pyramids in order to pay tribute to their gods, the
sun god in particular. Their message still rings true: we depend on
nature, not the other way round. We depend on the sun as it is the one
and only source of energy that makes our life on earth possible.
Likewise, we depend on the unique atmosphere of this planet to protect
us from the very harmful effects of that same sun. We have to stop
this vital shield's gradual degradation.
Maybe the Aztecs were light-years ahead of us in realising that the
sun is the only source of energy and that all other sources like
fossil, hydro, wind or bio energy are mere derivatives. Maybe they
were telling us to focus on the sun and to join forces in making solar
energy so efficient that we can use it to solve all our energy
requirements. Every 30 minutes the earth absorbs enough light to meet
the world's energy needs for a year! Every 30 minutes! If only we
could harvest it!
So while we are rightly looking for methods to reduce emissions in the
short and medium term that have a distinct immediate effect on the
pace of climate change, like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), we
should never lose sight of the genuine long-term solutions to our
energy problems. As I have already pointed out, our only source of
energy is the sun. The rest are derivatives. So solar energy has the
brightest future. And although it will take decades or even centuries
before solar is our main source of energy, it is of the greatest
importance to all future generations that we start conserving the best
catchment areas, the world's deserts. Many regard deserts as a barren
and hostile environment. In fact, they are a precious source of life,
which we should embrace and protect for the common good. The circle of
deserts surrounding the globe presents us with wonderful opportunities
for both generating and transmitting solar energy.
Large-scale solar plants in deserts, connected to a cross-border or
even intercontinental grid, are a fundamental solution for sustainable
energy supplies after 2050. As an interesting side-effect - and of
great benefit to the local population - heat from the power-generation
process may be used to desalinate seawater or to generate cooling. So
heat and water stress, now almost synonymous with deserts, can partly
be solved, while mitigating the effects of climate change.
Although this solution may sound costly, scaling it up will make it a
more profitable business than fossil energy. The point is, if we do
not approach energy as a long-term investment, we will end up paying
much higher bills.
So, ladies and gentlemen, we know the technology is there. Now we need
the political will and the right approach to investment to achieve
this fundamental transition towards a new energy system. Investments
in sustainable solutions make our communities healthier, our planet
cleaner, our economies stronger and our future brighter. Let us look
beyond the current financial and economic crisis and build the
foundations of a sustainable future. As a result of this crisis,
billions of dollars of public spending are needed to bail out our
economies and regenerate economic growth. If spent wisely on
sustainable solutions, these investments will also contribute towards
rescuing our planet. We owe this to our children and future
generations.
The COP 15 conference which will be held in Copenhagen in December is
the ideal opportunity to prove that we understand the urgency of the
threats that face those future generations. The current generation is
the only one that can help mitigate them. We have the knowledge and
the means. Let us show the world we have the courage to take bold and
necessary steps.
Let us make sure those future generations can be proud of us. Let us
not go down in history as yet another generation that could have
acted, but chose not to.
In a way, Mexico and the Netherlands are 'natural' partners in the
field of energy. Mexico produces oil, the Netherlands produces gas,
and we are both working towards a sustainable energy future. The
Memorandum of Understanding which is about to be signed points the way
ahead. We are guided by shared ambitions and work in the same spirit.
Working together in a field as important as energy policy will benefit
our two countries, as well as the world at large. We can and must make
sure that the world acts together. Only then can Copenhagen be
successful.
To make Copenhagen a success, we need drastic emission reductions,
accepted by all nations. Do we achieve that through negative or
positive strategies? Should we only focus on saying no or could we
take a different approach? Should we allow everybody to emit as much
as they want and then tax them so heavily under the 'polluter pays'
principle that they make greater reductions collectively than through
an approach that limits emissions? With those kind of financial
incentives the private sector will gladly provide us with technologies
that lead to huge emission reductions. I gladly leave it up to the
delegates of COP 15 to make the right decisions and, if necessary, to
finalize the treaty here in Mexico next year.
Let me conclude by giving you a Mexican proverb. "Cámaron que se
duerme se lo lleva la chingada", or in English: "a shrimp that sleeps
gets carried by the tide." Right now, strong currents are trying to
pull us along, leading us to a future of energy scarcity, rising sea
level and increasing pollution. Let's wake up, let's turn the tide and
move in a different direction. Let's set an example to the rest of the
world. I am sure that this seminar, with its plans, ideas and
expertise on energy efficiency, will be a source of inspiration to all
of you.
Thank you again for sharing your ideas with us. Thank you for being
here.
* © RVD
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