• Introduction
• Lord Browne's Keynote
• Heads of State Session
• Bringing About Change
• Worksessions
• Economy/Emissions
• Worksessions
• Infrastructure
• Worksessions
• Conclusions
• Al Gore (timesonline.co.uk)

Infrastructure plenary session

Dr. Christine Loh
Civic Exchange, China

Power & Electricity

Dr Christine Loh gave an overview of potential energy policy leading towards a low carbon economy. This included both the demand and supply of energy as well as the financing needs and other aspects of such a transformation. She drew extensively from the example of China, which has developed significant wind and solar capacity, with much more expected in the near future. Key elements of Chinese energy policy also include the promotion of energy efficiency, development of clean energy systems and product manufacturing. Specifically, Dr Loh addressed the prospect of developing clean coal energy technology through a collaboration between the private sector and government. Also discussed was the phasing out of new coal plants entirely within the next twenty years, contingent on international negotiations. Important themes included transparency, skills development, and a general recognition that regulation must be improved to meet the growing needs and expectations of the clean energy sector.

Ken Livingstone
Former Mayor of London 2000-2008, UK

Mobility & Urban Design

Former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, highlighted the importance of cities in the challenge bring about low-carbon growth. Cities produce up to 80% of greenhouse gas emissions and contain over 50% of the world's population. He suggested that the problems facing cities are not technical, but primarily challenges of political will; often decisions can be costly within electoral time frames. The congestion charge in London was discussed as an example of an action which was delayed due to fears of political acceptability despite evidence supporting its effectiveness. Cities needed to be attractive and functional, and municipal governments should offer the right set of incentives to encourage the appropriate use of public mobility infrastructure. Urban infrastructure and policy should be designed to reduce car dependency. Mr Livingstone argued that public transport should not be free, as people needed to be aware of the carbon cost of different transport choices. Policy makers needed to look critically at potential mobility solutions, taking into account the carbon produced from the entire life-cycle of system components.

Dr. Anthony Ribbink
Sustainable Seas Trust, South Africa

Land Use and Water

Dr Ribbink addressed a wide range of social and environmental challenges to sustainable land use and water management, focusing on developing nations in Africa. Resource dependent communities were identified as being particularly vulnerable to declining food production connected to at risk freshwater and marine ecosystems. Given current economic conditions, certain problematic land use practices were unavoidable for those living on at subsistence level; such as farming on steep slopes, fuel collection and deforestation, and biomass burning for agriculture and cooking. Dr Ribbink suggested that now is the best time for preventative actions to protect ecosystems and preserve the livelihoods that depend on them. He stressed that Africa faced deep infrastructural challenges in terms of health and education that must be addressed in tandem with ecosystem rehabilitation. Throughout his talk, Dr Ribbink recognised that there is much diversity within African which meant that broad trends and solutions would need further refinement in reference to a particular nation.

Mr. David Singleton
ARUP, UK

Built Environment

Mr Singleton addressed the question 'is there a model for a low-carbon built environment?' He suggested that a successful approach would be one that emphasised solutions, opportunities, and hope, in contrast to approaches that all too often over-emphasised risks and challenges. Mr Singleton discussed how urban population densities allowed for more sustainable travel patterns and activities. Design solutions for a low-carbon built environment were largely available, but required the convergence of political leadership and technological expertise. Mr Singleton proposed using an integrated resource management framework to help identify efficiency opportunities in urban environments. Sensitivity to specific governance and cultural circumstances was important to achieve the consensus needed to implement design projects in different cities. International networks, such as the C40 coalition, are developing to share best practices and knowledge amongst the world's major cities.