Jose Maria Figueres is an internationally-recognised leader in the achievement of sustainable development goals. He served as President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998, and was before that Minister of Trade and Minister of Agriculture. In 2000, he joined the World Economic Forum as a Managing Director, later becoming its first CEO. He hold numerous distinctions, most recently the Sustainability Award in Switzerland. Today, he continues to work in the fields of technology and sustainable development, and is President of the Carbon War Room, a global non-profit organisation that helps entrepreneurs unlock market-driven solutions to climate change. More on him here
Q1: What have been the key achievements of the Carbon War Room (CWR) and how do you envision the organisation moving forward in the global debate on climate change and energy mix?
Jose Figueres: The CWR is a non-profit organisation that's all about profit because we are a non-profit working to identify sectors of the global economy where we can reduce carbon emissions in profitable ways. Energy efficiency is a good example. Whether in our shipping operation or energy building operation, we have proved that achieving energy efficiency is profitable.
Q2: Energy upgrades and retrofits in the developed world have created jobs and reduced pollution. How can the push towards cleaner energy translate into similar job creation in the developing world?
Figueres: It is precisely in the developing world where this can be achieved with the greatest economic payback, through the deployment of technologies we already have. That's the way energy efficiency is such a win-win preposition for the developed world--which possesses the technologies--and the developing world, which needs them. It would create the jobs and opportunities for investments that we need to help stimulate the world economy.
Q3: The recent discoveries of huge gas fields, and the shale gas developments in the US and China, could threaten global efforts in developing the renewables sector. What is your outlook for the renewable energy sector and will it grow its share of the future energy mix?
Figueres: As the world moves from fossil fuels to clean energy, shale gas will be a valuable transition, but not a destination. As we continue to advance towards renewables, it will help the world obtain the energy it needs, while emitting 50 percent of the carbon emissions compared with coal and other fossil fuels. At today's prices, renewables are already competitive in many situations, especially for off-grid needs and when combined with smart grids, which is the future.
Q4: Sustainable development has always been an area of focus for you from the time you were Costa Rica's President. What has been the challenge to ensure sustainable development similar to Costa Rica in its efforts to grow its economy while conserving its natural environment?
Figueres: In the case of Costa Rica, we have been able to combine adequate environmental policies with sound economic development. At certain times it has meant exercising leadership, such as when we instituted a carbon tax back in 1995. Those proceeds went to finance an environmental services fund, which today continues to play an important role in encouraging environmentally-responsible and economically-sound activities.
Q5: What do you think are the three key energy challenges that the Latin American region faces today, and what can or is being done to address them?
Figueres:Let me mention 1) a concerted effort to drive energy efficiency; 2) a stronger push towards renewables in a region that has a huge potential; and 3) integration of national power systems to create a more competitive market.