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About sustainable energy
We need energy for almost everything we do from cooking, heating and lighting our homes and offices, to travelling for work or pleasure, and powering telecommunications and industry. But more than two-thirds of the greenhouse gas emissions that are responsible for climate change come from energy sources - mostly through burning oil and coal. Many energy sources also have a direct impact on the environment. We urgently need to move to energy systems that are environmentally and socially sustainable.
IUCN solutions
As all energy sources have some impact on nature, energy choices must be made with a full understanding of the trade-offs involved. At the same time, energy security depends on healthy ecosystems such as rivers, coastal lands and forests. IUCN promotes a rapid transition to sustainable energy sources by providing knowledge about the impacts of different energy options on biodiversity and how to limit these impacts. It also works to ensure that the energy policies and strategies of governments, companies and communities minimize their impact on the environment.
El Hierro to become world's first energy self-sufficient island
El Hierro – an island of only 269 km2 and around 10,000 inhabitants in the Canaries archipelago, an autonomous region of Spain and an EU outermost region situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa, is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The island hopes to become one of the first entirely energy self-sufficient islands in the world. … | Spanish
29 Mar 2012 | Article
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Think dams, think people
Marseille, 14 March 2012 - When building large dams, benefits to local communities can go hand in hand with broader national development objectives, shows a study launched today by IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) and IIED (International Institute for Environment and Development) at the World Water Forum in Marseille. … | French
14 Mar 2012 | International news release
World Water Forum: nature takes centre stage
Natural ‘infrastructure’ such as river basins, forests, lakes and wetlands, plays a key role in addressing today’s global water needs and must be an integral part of every country’s water management portfolio, says IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) at the World Water Forum starting in Marseille on Monday 12 March. … | French | Spanish
10 Mar 2012 | News story
