Executive Council
October 2, 2009
Premier Promotes Province and Makes a
Mark at Climate Change Conference
Promoting the province as both an energy warehouse
and a jurisdiction finding innovative ways to deal with
climate change, the Honourable Danny Williams today will
conclude his participation in the Governors� Global
Climate Summit 2 - On the Road to Copenhagen, taking
place in Los Angeles, California.
"I was so pleased to participate in this important
and substantive event, that brought together elected
officials, NGOs, industry executives, academics and
individuals who are determined to see action now to deal
with the global impacts of climate change," said Premier
Williams. "I was particularly proud to share the story
of Newfoundland and Labrador with the approximately 1,500
delegates who attended the Summit. Each and every time I
have a chance to share with people the opportunities
that abound in our province, I am delighted to be so
warmly received and encouraged to see such overwhelming
interest in what we have to offer. The interest that was
generated by my simply telling what we have to offer was
outstanding, and reflective of the attractiveness of our
province as not only as a place to invest but also as an
agent for both innovative and existing solutions to
global climate change issues."
Premier Williams was a panelist at the plenary
session, Driving Technological Innovation and Economic
Growth, where he spoke of the province's Energy Plan and
Climate Change Action Plan.
"There was a tremendous amount of interest in the
Lower Churchill project, as it was recognized by many I
spoke with as a phenomenal green energy project," said
Premier Williams. "This hydroelectricity project is a
simple, tried, tested and true technology for delivery
of clean, green energy for North America. As well,
people were impressed to hear of our innovative
technologies at Ramea where Nalcor Energy is combining
wind and hydrogen to increase renewable energy
independence for remote communities. As well, I shared
about our ocean technology and the incredible wealth of
knowledge and international expertise that is being
cultivated in Newfoundland and Labrador. We have a great
story to tell as a province, and this Summit was an
outstanding opportunity to put Newfoundland and Labrador
on the map while at the same time providing myself and
our team of officials with an opportunity to learn best
practices on the critical issues of climate change."
During Premier Williams' panel discussion he
highlighted the benefits of the Lower Churchill project
including its green energy potential in that it will
reduce gas emissions by 16 million tonnes, the
equivalent of taking 3.2 million cars off the road and
powering 1.5 million homes. The Premier also discussed
the province's Energy Plan objective of using
non-renewable resource revenues to fuel a future based
on renewable sources of energy.
"When you tell people that our province has the
ability to potentially have 98 per cent of our
electricity requirement met by stable, clean, green,
renewable energy - that gets their attention," said the
Premier. "This is an enviable position to be in, to say
the least, and we have an obligation to future
generations to meet this goal as we strive towards a low
carbon future. As a province currently heavily dependant
on oil and other non-renewable resource revenues, we are
a perfect global example of how we can use these revenue
sources to combat climate change in a meaningful way."
The Premier also discussed among other issues: the
province's Research and Development investments; the
province's energy warehouse including substantial wind
energy potential; and work being done at the Marine
Institute.
Premier Williams finishes the Summit today by
participating in a signing ceremony with Governor
Schwarzenegger on the declaration which will be signed
by several participating jurisdictions from around the
world. The declaration reaffirms the declaration from
last years' inaugural Summit and commits signatories to
work together to deal with climate change in meaningful
and substantive ways, while also recognizing the
important role that sub-national governments play in the
fight against climate change. This is in line with the
recent New England Governors-Eastern Canadian Premier's
(NEG-ECP) resolution on the role of sub-national
governments. That resolution called on federal
governments to be mindful of the role of states and
provinces during ongoing negotiations of the next UN
climate change treaty for agreement in Copenhagen in
December 2009, and to work cooperatively with provinces
and states in implementing effective solutions to
achieve national obligations implied by the treaty.
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