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This afternoon at the Madrid Stock Exchange, the Chairman of the Fundación IBERDROLA, Manuel Marín, presented the Nicholas Stern conference: Energy, the key to amore sustainable economy. This event was part of the foundation’s seminar series, Energy: Challenges for a sustainable future.
In his presentation, Marín highlighted the importance of reaching agreements which generate the investments needed to develop technologies that promote the efficient transmission and final use of energy, as well as the development of clean energy generation technologies.
He also highlighted that “only through the promotion of these clean technologies, especially renewables and specifically wind power, combined with more efficient and responsible energy consumption, will we be able to make clear and definitive progress towards mitigating the effects of global warming.”
IBERDROLA has a Climate Change Policy which aims to continue registering CO2 emissions per kWh produced that are at least 20% lower than the European sector average in 2020.
The company, a world leader in wind energy, is one of the companies with the lowest emissions in the sector. This is because 56% of our installed capacity and 52% of our output is completely emission free, he explained.
The Chairman of the Fundación IBERDROLA concluded his presentation by noting that “it is necessary to underscore that the long and critically important voyage towards environmental sustainability depends on the creation of an institutional framework that ensures the viability of investments.”
Effects of climate change
Nicholas Stern, Chair of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, started his presentation by thanking the Fundación IBERDROLA for its invitation. He then went on to discuss the initiatives that countries should implement in order to combat the effects of climate change.
The economist highlighted that “to reach a solid international agreement, this must be effective, efficient, and fair”. Furthermore, in regard to the next UN Climate Change Conference being held in Cancun at the end of the year, he emphasised that participants should "choose collaboration over confrontation, and learn from the initiatives and difficulties of others”.
In addition, Stern wanted to highlight the initiatives that IBERDROLA is carrying out to promote energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He also underscored the important role of governments, which includes setting a price on CO2 emissions, promoting R&D and implementing regulations that penalise the most environmentally damaging technologies.
About the Fundación IBERDROLA
The Fundación IBERDROLA has just started a new era in which it will focus its activities on the three main areas set forth in the institution’s 2010-2014 Action Plan: the advance towards a sustainable energy model, cultural development in countries where IBERDROLA operates, and cooperation in development and advocacy programmes. The rollout of these initiatives will largely take place in Spain, the UK, the US and Latin America, regions where the company has a greater presence.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
This communication does not constitute an offer of purchase, sale or exchange or a request for an offer of purchase, sale or exchange of values. The shares of Iberdrola S.A. cannot be offered or sold in the United States, except if this is carried out through a declaration of effective notification of what is laid out in the Securities Act or under the protection of a valid exemption of the need for notification.