“Towards Sustainable Development & Future Energy”

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Borneo Bulletin

Working Together Towards Sustainable Development,

Energy By Zasika Musdi

Bandar Seri Begawan - Total, one of the world's leading oil and gas companies,

yesterday hosted a roundtable "Towards Sustainable Development and Future Energy" at Dewan Muzakarah, International Convention Centre (ICC).

The half-day programme was aimed at creating greater awareness on the

importance of alternative sources of energy and today's living in a way that does not compromise the needs of our future generations.

The roundtable conference was held in association with Asia Inc Forum and

supported by the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies, French Embassy and Radio Television Brunei.

It brought together a diverse group of figures from the private and public sectors to

take part in an interactive dialogue, sharing ideas on how the government and local businesses can work together.

In a welcoming remark from the General Manager of TOTAL E&P Boreneo BV, Mr

Louis Heuze, he said at the moment the Brunei branch is revisiting Sustainable

Development and is willing to work closely with relevant government authorities to ensure that the programme will be coherent with the government's aspirations.

Present as the guest of honour at the event was Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah bin Hj Abdul Wahab, Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources.

In his keynote address, he posed five questions: What is Sustainable Development

and future energy? What is the relationship between these two areas? Why are

Sustainable Development and future energy a major concern today? What do we

need to do, or rather what is the mechanism that needs to be in place, to meet these

Sustainable Development objectives? And lastly, what can we, as individuals, do to contribute collectively?

In an attempt to answer the first question, Dato Hj Hamdillah continued by defining

Sustainable Development as a term that was coined at the Rio Earth Summit in

1992, and that it is a comprehensive, ambitious objective that requires participation

from many stakeholders and discipline.

He stressed that coherent action between individuals and institutions in the public

and private sectors is necessary and enables the mobilisation of resources, energy and innovative technologies to address the challenges ahead.

“Towards Sustainable Development & Future Energy”

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Energy is at the core of the Sustainable Development Agenda, as it plays a key role

in achieving the economic, social and environmental objective of Sustainable

Development. Having access to, and therefore, adequate availability of energy and

services is a prerequisite to achieving the socioeconomic development that is

required to improve the quality of life and satisfy basic human needs. The Deputy

Minister further stressed that an adequate supply of energy is urgently needed in

developing regions, in particular, in the least developed countries, especially in

remote rural areas.

It is also a prerequisite for Sustainable Development in the industrialised world and

in countries with economies in transition, such as Brunei Darussalam. The supply of

energy and services should be secure, reliable and affordable if it were to support

businesses and local employment, and create an environment for new industrial activity.

He then touched on the environmental implications 0f the continuous use of fossil

fuels, which could be seen from the receding glaciers, the depleting snows of

Kilimanjaro, altering global rainfall patterns and the growing drought in China's

Yangtze River Basin, which experts are attributing to climate change. In evaluation, we cannot address Sustainable Development without addressing climate change.

As suggested in the United Nations Report at Johannesburg Summit 2002 on Trends

in Sustainable Development, the increasing population density, especially in Asia,

combined with higher standards of living, particularly in the developing countries, will

pose enormous strains on land, water, energy and other natural resources such as forest resources.

As natural resources become scarce, global tensions may inevitably increase.

During the Heart of Borneo Global Issue Conference held in early March, particular

emphasis was given to the sustainable economic development opportunities, and it

was viewed by His Majesty's Government to be a very important initiative,

particularly for the future of the people living on the island of Borneo.

Borneo is extremely rich in timber, minerals and water resources, which according to

the Deputy Minister needs to be managed to ensure its economic and environmental

sustainability, particularly if this critical water catchments for Borneo is to be maintained.

As of today, he continued, we are embarking on the development of Project

Implementation Framework for Brunei Darussalam, a road map which will address

targets and outputs, programmes and activities, funding, as well as institutional roles and responsibilities.

Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah believes that as individuals, we can do small things that

can make a big difference, referencing in particular to Professor Wangari Maathai,

2004 Nobel Peace Prize Winner's story of 'Hummingbird'.

“Towards Sustainable Development & Future Energy”

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Preserving the environment can begin within our own backyard by the planting of

trees, adopting the principle of reducing, reusing and recycling waste, using water frugally, driving small economy cars and switching off the car engine while waiting.

The conference then proceeded with a "The Future of Energy" presentation by Mr

Jean-Michel Gires, Executive Vice President for Sustainable Development and the

Environment of TOTAL, who later led the environmental aspect of an open-forum discussion. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

The Brunei Times

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