Wednesday, October 28, 1998
1:30 pm to 3 pm, US Capitol HC-8

The Global Legislators for a Balanced Environment (U.S. GLOBE), Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), the Climate Institute and the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security are hosting a briefing on recent developing country energy initiatives. These initiatives are of special interest to those following the climate change debate and international climate change negotiations. Despite calls by the developing countries for developed nations to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the developing world recognizes the importance of developing sustainably and many nations are taking initiative on their own to deploy energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

Join our panel of international experts as they discuss energy initiatives underway in their countries or regions and financial mechanisms that may foster increased participation in energy or forestry projects.

The speakers include:

• Agus Sari of Pelangi, Indonesia;

• Mohan Munasinghe, Director of Sri Lanka Institute for the Environment in Sri Lanka;

• Suzan Kahn Ribeiro, Professor of Energy, COPPE, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;

• Christiana Figueres of Costa Rica, Executive Director of the Center for Sustainable Development in the Americas.

Mr. Sari headed the first country study of climate vulnerability and national strategy options for Indonesia.

Mr. Munasinghe, who is now director of a Sri Lanka environmental NGO, formerly served as director of environmental policy within the Environment Department of the World Bank.

Ms. Kahn Ribeiro is an expert on transportation system & renewable energy technologies. She has been an advisor to Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company, and to the Brazilian government.

Ms. Figueres heads a non-profit institute that arranges financing for energy and forestry projects throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. She is a world-renown expert on joint implementation under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Clean Development Mechanism as set out in the Kyoto Protocol.

This briefing is free and open to the public. No reservations are required. For more information, please contact the Climate Institue at 202-547-0104 or EESI at 202-628-1400.