E n e rgy and Tr a n s p o rt
Series on Science for Sustainable Development No. 2
I N T E R N ATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE
strengthening international science for the benefit of society ICSU Series on Science
for Sustainable Development
The ICSU Se r i es on Sc i e n ce for Sus tai n a ble Dev elopment is produ ced by th e
I n te r n ational Co uncil for Sc i e n ce in co n n ec tion with pre parations for the 2002
World Summit on Sus tai n a ble Dev elopment (WSSD). The aim of WSSD is to
bring tog e ther gov e r n m e n t s, Un i ted Nations agencies and other key sta keh ol-
d e rs, including re p res e n tativ es of civil soc i e ty and the Sc i e n ti fic and Tec h n ol og i-
cal Co m m un i ty, to build upon the 1992 Un i ted Nations Co n fe re n ce on Envi ro n-
ment and Dev elopment (UN CED) and to enhan ce efforts tow ard the future of
s us tai n a ble dev elopment. The Se r i es includes a set of inte r - d i s c i pl i n ary re po r t s
focusing on major issues th at are rel ev ant to science for sus tai n a ble dev el o p-
ment. The Se r i es is meant to serve as a link be tw een the scienti fic co m m un i ty an d
d ec i s i o n - m a ke rs, but the re ports should also be us eful to all oth e rs inte res ted in
the co n tr i b ution of science to sus tai n a ble dev elopment. The Se r i es highlights th e
fun d am e n tal role science has pl ay ed and will pl ay in finding sol utions to the chal-
l e n g es of sus tai n a ble dev elopment. It exam i n es expe r i e n ces since UN CED an d
l ooks tow ards the future. It provi d es up-to - d ate know l edge, exam i n es les s o n s
l ear n ed, succes s es achiev ed, and diffi cu l ti es enco un te red; while also outl i n i n g
future res earch agendas and actions to enhan ce problem sol ving and good pra c-
ti ces in sus tai n a ble dev elopment. The Se r i es was made po s s i ble due to a gene-
ro us grant provi d ed by the David and Lucile Pa c kard Fo un d ati o n .
ICSU
The Inte r n ational Co uncil for Sc i e n ce (ICSU) is a non- gov e r n m e n tal org an i-
s ation re p res e n ting the inte r n ational science co m m un i ty. The membe rsh i p
i n c l u d es bo th national science aca d e m i es (98 membe rs) and inte r n ati o n a l
s c i e n ti fic unions (26 membe rs). The co m b i n ed expe r tise from th ese two gro u p s
of scienti fic org an i s ations provi d es a wide spec tr um of scienti fic expe r ti s e
e n a bling ICSU to address major inte r n ational, inte rd i s c i pl i n ary issues, bey o n d
the sco pe of the indivi dual org an i s ations. ICSU builds upon this scienti fic expe r-
tise in a num ber of ways. It initi ates, des i gns and co - o rd i n ates major inte r n ati o-
nal, inte rd i s c i pl i n ary res earch program m es, par ti cu l arly in the areas of globa l
e nvi ro n m e n tal change. It also es ta bl i sh es pol i cy and advi s o ry co m m i ttees to
a d d ress impo r tant matte rs of common co n cern to scienti s t s, such as edu cati o n
and ca pa c i ty building in science, access to data, or science in dev eloping co un-
tr i es. ICSU acts as a focus for the exc h ange of ideas, co m m un i cation of scienti-
fic info r m ation and dev elopment of scienti fic stan d ards and netw o r ks. Beca us e
I C SU is in co n tact with hun d reds of th o us ands of scientists worldwide, it is ofte n
ca l l ed upon to re p resent the world scienti fic co m m un i ty. Series on Science for Sustainable Development No. 2
Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue
R e p o rt on Energy and Tr a n s p o rt
Contribution of the Scientific
and Technological Community
to the United Nations Economic
And Social Council Commission
on Sustainable Development
Prepared by
The International Council for Science
and World Conservation Union The reports in this series have been put together
by groups of scientists on behalf of the various
sponsoring bodies. While every effort has been
made to make them as authoritative as possible,
the reports do not formally represent the views
of either the sponsoring organisations nor, where
applicable, the individual members affiliated to
those organisations.
Suggested Citation:
International Council for Science. 2002. ICSU
Series on Science for Sustainable Development:
Energy and Transport No. 2, 20 pp.
� ICSU 2002
ISSN 1683-3686
Cover Images:
Each of the photographs on the cover represents
one of the three pillars of sustainable
development. (from left to right):
Environment: � CNRS Phototh�que / P. Dollfuss
View of Lake Yamdrok, a field of Mustard crops
in southern Tibet.
Social: � IRD / E. Katz
Mixtec woman washing coffee grains, Oaxaca,
Mexico.
Economic: � IRD / E. Deliry-Antheaume
View of the Newton, Johannesburg, Gauteng
Province, South Africa.
Graphics and layout:
Atelier Marc Rosenstiehl, France
Printed by Stipa
Printed on recycled paper E N E R G Y A N D T R A N S P O RT
3
Preface
The Bureau of the Un i ted Nati o n s Commission on Sus-
tai n a ble Development (CSD) inv i ted ICSU, in col l a bo rati o n
w i th the World Co n s e rvation Union (IUCN), to coo rd i n ate
the par ti c i pation of the Sc i e n ti fic and Te c h n ol og i cal Co m-
m un i ty in the Mu l ti - S ta ke h older Dialogue on Sus tai n a bl e
En e rgy and Tran s port at its Ninth Session in April 2001.
Fol l owing exte n s ive co m m un i cations and co n s u l ta-
tions within the ICSU family and with ma ny other scienti-
fic institutions and individual scientists, ICSU was deligh-
ted to pl ay a key role in the col l e c tion, an a l ysis an d
sy n th esis of the wide range of us e ful material submitte d .
D r. Jon Mc Lin, working as an ICSU co n s u l tan t, prov i d e d
superb leadership and support in the complex task of pre-
paring the first draft text of the UN Report. ICSU worked
closely with the IUCN, and especially its principal contact
person and contributor, Dr. Richard Ottinger.
The World Fe d e ration of Engineering Org an i zati o n s
(WFEO) and the InterAcademy Panel (IAP) provided spe-
cial support and info r m ation from their global netwo r ks
and membership.
I C SU wish es to express its since re th an ks to all those wh o
co n tr i b uted to the pre paration of our UN Re port and to
each of the membe rs of the Sc i e n ce Delegation at CSD-9.
I C SU is co m m i tted to co n ti n uing its leadership and col-
l a bo ration in the Sc i e n ti fic and Te c h n ol og i cal Co m m u-
n i ty on En e rgy and Tran s port issues and looks fo rward to
fol l owing up the final CSD-9 pro posals and decisions in
future .
Professor T
HOMAS
R
OSSWALL
Executive Director
ICSU E N E R G Y A N D T R A N S P O RT
5
The role of the scientific
community
1
This pa pe r
2
e xam i n es fo ur key To p i cs re l ated to a globa l
tran s i tion to sus tai n a ble energy and tran s port sys te m s .
Emphasis is put on the aspects related to science and techno-
logy. These aspects are important. For example, much of the
var i ation in energy sce n arios deve l o ped for the future is
accounted for by differences in the assumed rate and nature
of technological advance.
However, a successful transition to sustainability requires
more than scientific and technological knowledge. It requires
economic tools and sound public policies. Progress towards
s us tai n a b i l i ty has so far been limited more by inadequate
policies, and the political choices that underlie them, than by
constraints related to science and technology. Sustainability
m ay re q ui re even more fun d am e n tal soc i e tal adjus tm e n t s .
3
Value sys tems need to minimize the present emph asis on
materials and energy and encourage their more efficient use
to introdu ce more sus tai n a ble co n s um p tion patte r n s .
Science and technology can help promo te such a transition,
but that will not be sufficient. There is no technological fix.
The social sciences have a major role to play in this respect.
Agenda 21 re cognised the impo r tan ce of the scienti fi c
and te c h n ol og i cal (S&T) co m m un i ty in achieving env i ro n-
ment and de velopment objectives, especially through provi-
ding info r m ation to help decision-make rs fo r m u l ate an d
select appropriate policies. It emphasised the need for better
communication and co-operation between the S&T commu-
n i ty, decision-make rs and the general public. Steps in th at
d i re c tion we re ta ken at the ICSU/ UN ESCO World Co n fe-
rence on Science (Budapest, June 1999) and the Conference
of the Wo r l d s Sc i e n ti fic Aca d e m i es org an i zed by the Inte r-
A ca d e my Panel on Inte r n ational Issues (Tokyo, May 2000).
The participation of the S&T community for the first time in
the CSD process is a further response to that mandate.
B e fo re addressing the spe c i fic agenda items on energy
and tran s po r t, the inte r n ational S&T co m m un i ty wish es to
call atte n tion to seve ral general issues th at war rant care fu l
consideration and action by CSD-9 and others.
The first concern is the downward trend in expenditure on
e n e rgy res e arch and development (ERD). From 1980-1999,
g overnment ERD spending in the member co un tr i es of th e
I n te r n ational En e rgy Agency, which acco unt for the bulk of
such expenditure world