Egloff, Roger L.

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Conferences & Meetings 185system-wide, thereby inexorably requiring joint efforts bythe riparian states for their amelioration. Indeed, thisrecognition was aptly demonstrated by the oft-heard quip,'We're all in the same boat'. The eight riparian states-greater or lesser fractions of which comprise 99% of thebasin—are, though, remarkably diverse as to area, naturalresources, population, wealth, political system, and historyof friendships and animosities.Therefore, the primary challenge in achieving environ-mental security for the Danubian 'ecosystem' was recog-nized by the conference participants to be the establish-ment of a firm working relationship among those eightriparian states. Although the necessary formal (legal)mechanisms for interstate cooperation were seen to beinadequate within the Danube region, a basis for estab-lishing such cooperation was found to exist in the finetradition of regional scientific cooperation. Most appro-priately, the women participating in the Conference formu-lated an appeal to all women and women's groups in theriparian nations involved, to accept their civic responsibil-ity to preserve the Danubian environment for future gen-erations through new ecological and moral education at alllevels.This Conference, in bringing together so many relevantprofessional groups and scholars from within the region(many for the first time), clearly reinforced interstate eco-logical cooperation. Indeed, the Ecoforum for Peace estab-lished a standing committee on the Danube in order to beable to carry on its catalytic function in the future.CAROL E. WESTINGHovseter SchoolN-0768 Oslo 7Norwav.'FORENERGY '88' 2ND EUROPEAN F O R U M - ' E N -ERGY IN TOWNS'—HELD IN THE INTERNATIONALCONFERENCE CENTRE OF GENEVA, 15 RUE DE VAR-EMBE, 1211 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND, DURING 7-10NOVEMBER 1988After 'Forenergy '86',* a second forum 'FORENERGY'88' took place recently in Geneva, Switzerland, as indi-cated above. Among numerous sponsors were the City ofGeneva and the Council of Europe (the Standing Confer-ence of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe). In-tended essentially for energy managers engaged at themunicipal, urban, or regional, levels, this Forum attracteddelegates from some 40 European towns.The aim of the Forum was again to promote energyconservation, through rational energy management. Inurban heating, for instance, district heating and co-gener-ation were the subjects of deliberation, while one sessionwas devoted to the beneficial utilization of waste, withemphasis on recycling and recuperation. Another sessiondealt with 'Energy and the quality of life', which includedconsiderations of surroundings and the general environ-ment.Throughout the Forum indeed, the links between energyand environment were stressed. There is no doubt, nowa-days, that the production and use of energy by Mankind,have substantial effects on The Biosphere. All misuses ofenergy have a bearing on the quality of our environment.The use of fossil fuels for the production of energy is aforemost example: in combustion engines or when used forheating purposes, it leads to the production of gases whichare damaging to the atmosphere. Our efforts should there-fore tend to exploit pollution-free and renewable sources ofenergy.Regarding wastes, the method of incineration for theirdisposal is not a satisfactory solution: one should try torecuperate the energy-content of discarded materials. Thiswould also limit the pollution arising from the burning ofwastes. Indeed, in order to solve the complex problemswith which we are confronted, we should consider theenergy aspects and the effects on environment together.They are closely interwoven.The last session of the Forum was devoted to hydrogen.This is not a source of energy, of course, but a promisingenergy-vector. A hydrogen distribution network wouldsupplement the electricity distribution network, with ad-vantages regarding storage and long-distance transporta-tion. The production of hydrogen could occur in regionssuch as northern Canada, which produces a surplus ofhydroelectric power. Most important, one could make useof large-scale solar installations in desert areas. The deci-sive advantage of a 'hydrogen economy' would evidentlybe the virtual absence of pollution, and hence an optimalpreservation of the environment.ROGER L. EGLOFF, Project EngineerOffice of Cooperation for Renewable Energies (COPER)Centre International1 Rue de VarembeCH-1211 Geneva, Switzerland.* Described in Environmental Conservation. Vol. 14. No. 2. p.184. 1987.FIRST SESSION OF WMO-UNEP INTERGOVERNMEN-TAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC), HELD INGENEVA, SWITZERLAND, DURING 9—11 NOVEMBER1988The first meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel onClimate Change (IPCC) was opened by statements fromG.O.P. Obasi, Secretary-General of WMO, and by M.K.Tolba, Executive Director of UNEP, on 9 November 1988.Statements were made by representatives of eighteen of the35 governments represented. The representative of Maltadrew attention to the draft resolution on Conservation ofClimate as part of the Common Heritage of Mankind, thathad been submitted by his Government to the UnitedNations General Assembly on 26 October and whichwould be duly considered by the General Assembly.The Panel decided that, to attain its objectives ofa) assessing the scientific information that is related to thevarious components of the issue of climate change, suchas emissions of major 'greenhouse' gases and modifica-tion of the Earth's radiation-balance resulting there-from, and that are needed to enable the environmentaland socio-economic consequences of climate change tobe evaluated; andb) formulating realistic response-strategies for the man-agement of the climate-change issue;three main tasks would be involved, namely1) to assess available scientific information on climatechange;2) to assess environmental and socio-economic impacts ofclimate change; and3) to formulate response strategies.To accomplish these tasks it was decided to establishthree Working Groups, chaired by representatives of theUnited Kingdom, the USSR, and the USA, respectively.The first would consider, inter alia, factors affecting cli-mate change, including greenhouse gases, responses tothese factors of the atmosphere-ocean-land system, thehttps:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0376892900009115Downloaded from https:/www.cambridge.org/core. 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‘FORENERGY ʼ88' 2nd European Forum-‘ENERGY in TOWNS'-held in the International Conference Centre of Geneva, 15 rue de Varembé, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, during 7-10 November 1988

‘FORENERGY ʼ88' 2nd European Forum-‘ENERGY in TOWNS'-held in the International Conference Centre of Geneva, 15 rue de Varembé, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, during 7-10 November 1988

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