The Cancun LCE Dialogue Forum on
Sustainable Energies for Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs), and Larger Industry,
24 – 27 November 2010

Conference Venue: Hotel Fiesta Americana Condesa Cancún
Blvd. Kukulkán km 16.5, Zona hotelera, 77500, Cancún, Q.Roo., México

Documents

Cancún Memorandum on Sustainable Energies for Industries:
Recommendations of the Low Carbon Economy Dialogue Forum

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Background

The concept of low carbon economy (LCE) seeks to reconcile economic development and ambitious climate protection. It calls for long-term conversion processes towards a low emissions global economic system. Apart from the energy sector with its essential role for both, economic development as well as greenhouse gas emissions, additional areas such as urban energy consumption and land use and forest protection has received increasing attention. Against this backdrop the development of joint strategies as a means of advancing transformation processes towards a low carbon economy (LCE) are needed.
Against this backdrop, a Low Carbon Economy Dialogue Series has been initiated by InWent – Capacity Building International on behalf of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. A first Forum held at Berlin between 26-28th April 2009, supported by adelphi research, brought together stakeholders (policymakers, academics and public and private sector) from eight countries deliberated on three dimensions of LCE: Sustainable Energy Supply, Urban Energy Consumption and Land Use and Forest Protection.

Forum Concept

The group discussing the challenges of a Sustainable Energy Supply identified in the course of the next Dialogue Forum held in Delhi jointly organized by TERI and InWEnt in late 2009 the need to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency options, especially in SMEs and larger industry for energy security and CO2 reductions. Promoting joint research and cooperation through ‘real’ South-South-North cooperation was also emphasised by the group. As a result, the Delhi dialogue served as follow-up workshop to further discuss the results and progress since the Berlin workshop, specifically in the area of promoting sustainable energy solutions among SMEs.

Objective of the Cancun-LCE-Dialogue

The Cancun Dialogue, organized by the National Institute of Ecology (INE) and InWEnt, will pick up where Delhi left off. In the present global context, marked by liberalisation of trade, on the one hand, and the problem of climate change challenges on the other, SMEs and larger industries in all countries are confronted with the challenge to sustain growth while adopting environment friendly manufacturing processes. Thus, there is an urgent need to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in this economic sector.

Key questions are

- What policy measures and frameworks (taxes, subsidies, environmental standards, trading systems) are appropriate to push low-carbon technologies in SMEs and larger enterprises?

- How can collaborations for low carbon energy systems be promoted between academia, industries, governments, financial institutions, and other stakeholders - both nationally and internationally?

- How should concrete capacity building approaches be designed to ensure success and sustainability of SME and larger industry activities and how can the LCE Dialogue Series contribute?

- What technological solutions for SMEs and larger industries are available and realistic (RE and EE-technologies)?