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January 10, 2012

2012: The International Year of Sustainable Energy for All

BY: Angela Pauly

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Offshore wind farm. © OCEANA / Pitu Rovirosa

 

2012 is going to be a big year – we’ve got a ton of things on the horizon and a to-do list that’s already longer than we care to share.

Did you know that the UN General Assembly designated 2012 to be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All? They did so in order to provide a “valuable opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of increasing sustainable access to energy, energy efficiency, and renewable energy at the local, national, regional and international levels.”

At a time when there is an international day for everything, it’s easy to ignore just another one. But we truly hope European leaders heed this call, because the ramifications of ignoring it, particularly given both the state of the economy AND the state of the environment, are not good.

As you know, Oceana is very supportive of offshore wind energy and while we’ve seen some incredible growth in the industry in Northern Europe, there is still a lot more to be done, particularly in Southern Europe, where EU Member States have been slower to develop the industry.  Offshore wind energy, unlike more traditional forms of energy, from oil and gas for example, does not contribute to ocean acidification and climate change, both of which are wreaking havoc on our oceans.

Happy New Year to you all! Don’t forget to let us know if there are any specific requests you have for our blog!