| COP15 in Copenhagen was the largest gathering
of heads of state in the history of the United Nations.
Even if the conference didn’t achieve all it had hoped
to, the sheer number of attendees and the
recognition gained for maintaining the dialogue
on climate change proved that there
is much that needs to be resolved.
Given the need for action, the dialogue
must go on. It is a necessity. Energy
is the issue of the day. It is becoming clear
that as energy and climate related problems
and challenges become more global, awareness
of these problems and the sense of
urgency surrounding them also assumes
international proportions.
Pressure to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions is increasingly stronger, even
though 86% of world supply still comes
from combustion of fossil fuels. That being
said, the challenge of climate change and
reduction of greenhouse gases is only one
of the important issues.
At this time, more than one third of
the world’s population (2 billion persons)
has no reliable energy supply. Moreover,
between now and 2020, world energy needs
will grow steadily, and prices will rise significantly
as the pressure mounts from economic
recovery and growth of developing
countries. It is expected that the world
demand for energy will double by 2050.
Added to this, the energy sector now faces
overwhelming problems of environmental,
social, and political acceptability while the
world economy is also coping with major
disruptions.
The Montreal World Energy
Congress is currently seen by the global
energy community as a pivotal event. Given
the present economic climate and an attendant
sense of global urgency, combined
with the advent of profound transformations
in the world, a total of 14 international
organizations will be associated with the
Congress. The list of energy-related events
that will be held in conjunction with the
Congress includes the annual WEC-FT
Energy Leader Summit which will be held
outside London for the first time; special
meetings of Energy Ministers from Frenchspeaking
countries and their
Commonwealth counterparts; and extraordinary
meetings of organizations with an
interest in the energy sector, such as the
World Bank and the e8.
Some 250 high-level speakers from
industry, government and research and
academia will talk about key issues facing
the energy sector today, divided into four
central themes to be discussed during the
four-day event: day one addresses ACCESSIBILITY
(meeting worldwide energy
demand); day two addresses AVAILABILITY
(what is the right energy mix for long
term stability?); day three addresses
ACCEPTABILITY (energy solutions for the
planet), and; day four addresses
ACCOUNTABILITY (policies, regulations
and financing).
A list of some noted speakers who
have confirmed their attendance at the
Congress:
•Angel Gurría, Secretary General,
OCDE
•Henri Proglio, President and CEO,
EDF, France
•Khalid Al-Falih, President and CEO,
Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia
•Peter Voser, CEO, Shell, Netherlands
•Georgina Kessel, Minister of Energy,
Mexico
•José Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo,
President and CEO, Petrobras, Brazil
•Davood Manzoor, Minister of Energy,
Iran
•Daniel Yergin, Chairman, CERA,
United States
•Zhou Jiping, Vice President, China
National Petroleum Corporation,
China
•Rick George, President and CEO,
Suncor, Canada
•Sergey Novikov, Head of Federal
Tariff Service, Russia
•Anne Lauvergeon, President and
Director, Groupe Areva, France
•Pierre Gadonneix, President, World
Energy Council
•Jacynthe Côté, CEO, Rio Tinto Alcan,
Canada
Some 200 exhibitors will gather at the
Montreal Convention Center to display
their know-how and the results of recent
technology research as well as educate the
public about the challenges we must all
face if we are to maintain our societies’
standard of living and development. Many
companies from all sectors of the power
generation and the petroleum industries
will take part in the 4-day exhibition. Other
types of exhibitors that will be represented
include governments, consultancy experts
as well as the financial sector.
The Montreal Congress will also have
an impact outside the country with the
Montreal Declaration. This text will be
drafted at the close of the Congress sessions.
Because the Declaration will carry
official weight and present the conclusions
from the Congress, it will define the World
Energy Council’s action plan for the next
three years, until the Daegu Congress in
2013.
The WEC adopted a philosophy of
accountability. This means that the Council
wants to be able to measure its progress
from Montreal to the next Congress in
Daegu. So if it decides, for example, to
lower its greenhouse gas emissions, promote
green energy, or advocate new kinds
of cars, the actual results will be measured
so it can follow progress for at least the
next three or four years.
These efforts are applied with respect
to the Council’s mission: "To promote the
sustainable supply and use of energy for
the greatest benefit of all people". This mission
is shared by all WEC Member
Committees that are represented in 93
countries world-wide. Such an exposure
allows this non- profit organization to have
a greater impact from a global perspective.
It is very urgent to work on efficiency
and invest in research and development to
ensure a steady supply as well as more efficient
consumption. It is extremely important
for people to know what's going on
right now, and be aware of the tremendous
challenges we all face in terms of energy—
poor countries and developing countries, as
well as rich countries—everybody, right
down to the consumer.
STÉPHANE BERTRAND, EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR OF WEC MONTRÉAL 2010
Since November 2007, Stéphane
Bertrand has held the position of Executive
Director of the World Energy Congress –
Montréal 2010.
Prior to that, between 2003 and 2007,
he was Principal Private Secretary to the
Premier of Québec. As part of his duties he
contributed directly to formulating government
policy and establishing the provincial
budget.
Stéphane Bertrand worked at Gaz
Métropolitain for a number of years, holding
the positions of Manager, and then Vice
President, Communications, Public and
Government Affairs. Prior to that, he was a
consultant with a communication consulting
firm in Montréal where he was in
charge of two major gas pipeline projects,
and also served as Vice President, Planning
and Development at Société financière des
Caisses populaires Desjardins. He was also
Principal Private Secretary and Economist,
Responsible for Press Relations in the
Office of the Deputy Minister for Finance
and Privatization and in the Office of the
Minister of Cultural Affairs for Québec.
The holder of a Master's Degree in
Economics from Université de Montréal,
Stéphane Bertrand is a member of the
Board of Directors of the Public Relations
Chair at UQAM and the Foundation of
Stars. He also sat on the board of directors
of Carbone 14, was Chairman of the
Fondation des Jeux du Québec, the Public
Affairs Committee of the Canadian Gas
Association, and sat on the Board of
Directors of Info-Excavation and the
Pipeline Association. |
