‘WE CANNOT REMAIN INDIFFERENT’ ABOUT INTERFACE BETWEEN ENERGY, CLIMATE CHANGE, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN LECTURE SERIES INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

‘WE CANNOT REMAIN INDIFFERENT’ ABOUT INTERFACE BETWEEN ENERGY, CLIMATE CHANGE,

SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN LECTURE SERIES INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

Following are Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s remarks introducing Professor Rajendra Pachauri and Professor Nebojsa Nakiconovic in the Secretary-General’s lecture series in New York on 3 December:

I am very excited to welcome you to the third lecture in this series.  Let me at the outset thank the Christian Johnson Endeavour Foundation and Bruce Alberts, President of the National Academy of Sciences, for the assistance and advice they have provided to make the series possible.

My hope with the series is to give us a chance to come together and learn more about issues that affect us all -- not only in our work, but in our lives.

That certainly applies to the subject of today’s lecture, “The Interface Between Energy and Climate Change”.  Not only does this issue affect our lives.  More than anything, it will affect the lives of our children and grandchildren.  That is why we cannot remain indifferent about it.  And even if we disagree about some aspects of the issue, I think most of us agree that we have to start the process for change now.

We have no time to lose if we are to learn both to use energy differently, and to use different energy sources -- and if we are to ensure that that knowledge comes to benefit the billions of people who today lack any access to modern energy at all.

I am deeply grateful to Professor Pachauri and Professor Nakicenovic for agreeing to come and speak to us about those challenges.  Both of them are highly eminent in their field.  Their lecture promises to be a real eye-opener for us all.

And since the series has featured exclusively women speakers so far, perhaps it is time to give the men a chance!  Professors, you have the floor.

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