The Need to define a new Energy- and Climate Policy for Europe and the World
adpoted Motion of the 2nd EL Congress
Every person living on our globe has the same right to use the atmosphere, but also the duty to protect this right for future generations – and even more, to live in a way that this right re-mains available.
All over Europe we are witnesses of climate change, all over Europe we are confronted with the growing energy requirements of our society.  The European Left is convinced that energy politics is the politics of climate change.  Like the majority of political players, the EL is united on this issue: the change to greater use of renewable energy, and more sparing and effective use of dwindling energy resources, are two of the central challenges of the 21st century.
The Party of the EL urges furthermore that we recognize and organize our political activities around the fact, that there cannot be a social and sustainable development of societies in Europe and the World, without a consequent rethinking and restructuring of energy policies. We clearly have to say: powerful companies are threatening sovereignty over energy policy, at a regional, national, EU and global level. We clearly have to say: we all have to rethink, in a very critical way, our way of living and to state that the ecological issue is most closely linked with the social question. This is on the agenda more urgently than ever before - even in the richest countries – due to the pressure of neoliberal economic dogma.
 
Indeed, energy issues are today more than ever fundamental questions of securing prosper-ity, of national economic development, of environmental and climate policy, of existential pre-cautions, of social policy, of democracy, of European, Foreign and Security policy, and of a balanced world order.
The EL has to increase its efforts to develop a serious and concrete debate about all issues belonging to these themes: we have to propose – already within the years 2008 / 2009 - con-crete steps for a new energy policy in our countries reflecting European and World wide inter-relations. We will present such a comprehensive social-ecological sustainable approach on energy- and economic items for the election campaign for the European Parliament in 2009
 
The implications of the current, predominating climate change policy are many, if it continues.  The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) warned last week that CO2 emis-sions have risen by 80% since 1970, and will double again by 2030. This could precipitate a temperature rise of 4-6°C by the end of the century, which would have catastrophic conse-quences for humankind and biodiversity in general.  The EL stresses in all seriousness that, just as Einstein said sixty years ago, with the invention of the atomic bomb, that humankind was for the first time in a position to annihilate itself, we must be clear about the threat of ir-reversible climate change, which is closely linked to our use of energy. No political force, can ignore this. Therefore the EL must face up to the new economic and social conditions facing all political activists, at both the EU and the European level.  

Concerning biodiversity, more than 700 European species are threatened with extinction, because of the destruction, devaluation and disruption of the national environment. The con-sequences of “climate change” on society and on natural resources are already evident and will become even more catastrophic, if we do not act now. If we do not change the consumer-ist and neoliberal way of life now. If we do not change the existing policies, “climate change” will become uncontrollable.

The IPCC claims that all the necessary technology for the fight against climate change al-ready exists, and that implementing it need not have a harmful effect on the global economy. But action must be decisive – and it must come soon.

For the Party of the European Left the ultimate goal is the abandonment of fossil fuels by the year 2030, and so the EL will contribute in its political struggle to that.
Access to energy is essential for international development.  Without equal access to energy resources for all, across the globe, there can be no real equality in life, because energy is required for all but the most basic of tasks.

Social Justice needs affordable energy-prices!
We don’t only propose access to energy for everybody, but for affordable energy for everybody!
In the industrialised countries, people on low incomes are faced with difficulties in paying their utility bills. It is unacceptable that energy companies, in collaboration with each other, make hundreds of millions of Euros in profit, while people have to save to pay for something that is a necessity of life. The European Left advocates an effective price control method, which curbs the profits of the energy companies and thereby lowers prices.  Furthermore, the profits of the energy companies can be subjected to a special tax, whose proceeds can be used for the social and ecological transformation of energy provision. 

It is also clear that liberalization and privatization do not benefit the climate. They increase inequality and remove the control of users over basic services.  We must also take note of the fact that large companies prize cost effectiveness over energy efficiency. Therefore, we urge that:

• The power and gas networks must be public property. However, ownership rights alone cannot change the character of the network as a monopoly. There needs to be direct con-trol of the network through society, to prevent abuse of pricing and to establish a forward-looking energy conservation policy.
  
• We must also speak out about how large companies are threatening political sovereignty over energy policy, how we have to look critically at our lifestyles, and how the environ-mental and social issues are intertwined
  
• Decentralised energy policies support climate change prevention and above all provide work
  
• The economy must lower the use of primary energy through efficiency and energy saving, by building renewable energies, by reviewing the priorities in energy research and by re-structuring environmental taxes and emissions trading
  
• We demand a binding obligation for industrialised countries to reduce emissions by 30% by 2020

The EL makes one thing clear in the debate over 21st century energy policy: wasting energy, or the unconscious use of it, must absolutely be avoided, but the path towards societies with-out energy cannot be taken either – it is up to democracy to find a balance.

In order to achieve an effective restructuring of energy policy, the countries of Europe must agree policy within the international institutions. With this in mind, the EL considers the fol-lowing points extremely important:

• At the UN climate conference in Bali, the Governments of Europe must substantiate their self-proclaimed role as trailblazer in environmental policy with concrete measures
  
• It was a mistake to concentrate only on environmental politics in the Kyoto Protocol. There must also be the right set-up in international structural politics. As it stands, the chain of adding value, stretching across continents, is causing increasing spending on freight transport and leading to increases in CO2 emissions
  
• For the success of international climate policy, we need to shape it towards the principle that every person has equal rights to use of the atmosphere. Developing countries need their own credibility in climate change policy.

The EU policy of not prioritising renewable energy sources over carbon-based ones is lead-ing us down a blind alley. Who, if not the European Union and its member states are in the position to save the earth by investing in forms of alternative energy?
Also, we consider the decision of the European Union to include the question of energy sup-ply in the security-policy. The idea to defend and fight for energy resources is a major risk to World Peace.  Nobody, even the US-Administration itself denies that the USA waged war in the Middle-East for getting control over massive oil-supplies – If the industrialized countries will keep this attitude, in times of growing energy demand and at the same time decrease of fossil fuels, mankind will face new wars.. The EL proposes a system of energy-supply on the basis of international cooperation and demands greater investments of the industrialized world for a transition in direction of a non-carbon based world economy

European Left Action Strategy to Curb Climate change
The world needs a fundamental change in energy consumption in order to curb climate change and secure the supply of energy for all. Climate change hits the poorest countries in the world and the poor in the rich countries the hardest. If too little is done the effects of global rising temperatures will be a fall in agricultural production in developing countries, a lack of water, the flooding of lands and more extreme weather conditions. To days war refu-gees will be joined tomorrow by climate refugees
 
The rich countries must ensure a change in energy consumption reducing the CO2 emis-sions.  The EL will work for international agreements with binding commitments for switching energy supplies to renewable energy.
 
Even with the present technical solutions, energy consumption in industry and households could be significantly reduced. If there is political will, the EL believes, that the European countries can replace the use of oil, coal and gas with sustainable energy within 25 years. We insist on public ownership of important resources like energy network, water etc.
The proposals of the EL incorporate both short term and more long term elements. We can-not wait.
 

On short term we will propose: 

• Tighter rules governing energy consumption in new buildings 
  
• Demands for low levels of electricity consumption in new electrical devices should be introduced in all countries. 
  
• Public authorities must focus on energy savings and public contracts should be viewed on the basis of  – not only which is the cheapest - but especially whether a contract contribute to energy saving and ecological production 
  
• Reduction of VAT on energy saving and ecological goods, higher taxes on CO2 emissions
  
• On the occasion of the UN conference in Bali (concerning the next steps after Kyoto) the European Left supports the Global Action Day on December 8th  2007 organised by the international NGO movement and calls for a massive participation in confronting climate change. The European Left will continue to participate in the future Climate Action Days to come.
   

On a more long term we will propose: 

• Public spending on research and improvement of energy saving and renewable en-ergy should be markedly increased
  
• Gradually removal of support for “ordinary” production in order to develop ecological production.
  
• A new transportation strategy. Major investments in the public transport system and making it much cheaper to use public transport. Transportation of goods must shift from transport on roads to transport on train and sea
  
• Political priorities where sustainability is more important than the free flow of goods. 
   
  Change is a necessity. The European Left shares a vision of a sustainable world in which the poor countries have their fair chance of development. That is why we demand of ourselves and our part of the world to take the lead in the development of new and renewable energy forms and share the knowledge with others. And we extend our solidarity and an appeal for unity addressed to movements and left political forces to work together for a world based on ecology and sustainability.