10월 20일부터 4일간 콜롬비아 카르타헤나에서 열린 세계에너지협의회(WEC) 연차총회에 참가한 뒤, 29일부터 31일까지는 프랑스 리옹에서 프랑스전력공사(EDF) 주최로 개최된 ‘물 & 에너지 국제컨퍼런스’(International Water & Energy Conference)로 이동해 대구에서 열리는 ‘2015 대구 경북 세계물포럼’의 준비상황을 설명하고 적극적인 참가를 촉구하는 내용의 기조연설을 했다.

인간의 생존에 가장 필수적인 자원인 물은 농업, 수산업 등 1차 산업은 물론이고 자원개발, 에너지산업, 제조업, 서비스업 등 국가경제의 모든 분야에 심대한 영향을 미치는 요소이다.

현재 물과 에너지는 공통적으로 트릴레마(trilemma), 즉 3가지의 어려운 문제에 직면하고 있는데 그것은 안정적 확보의 문제, 지역과 계층에 따른 공정하고 평등한 배분의 문제, 개발에 따른 환경파괴의 문제 등이 그것이다. 이 세가지 문제에 대한 solution을 찾기 위한 국제적 공조가 이뤄지고 있으나 아직 충분하지는 않다.

이런 맥락에서 내년 총회에서 전세계 200여개 국에서 3만5천여 명의 각분야 전문가들이 대거 참가한 가운데 다양한 관점에서 물 문제 해결책을 제시하려는 새로운 아이디어들이 제시될 것으로 기대된다.

아래에 Lyon 컨퍼런스 연설문 전문을 소개한다.

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Good morning and thank you for the kind introduction.

I am honored to be here and to speak to you in my capacity as a Co-Chair of the Organizing Committee for the 7th World Water Forum to be held in my hometown of Daegu, South Korea next year and as the Co-Chair of the World Energy Council.

From my unique vantage point—representing both the water and energy communities—I find it sobering that both sectors suffer from the same predicament; the so-called “Trilemma.”

In this context, the term “Trilemma” refers to the three-fold challenge of insecurity of supply, the extreme poverty faced by disadvantaged communities and unsustainable development.

To begin with, there is no doubt that both sectors must deal with the grave challenge of insecurity of supply arising from severe constraints on accessibility to resources.

Second, disadvantaged communities around the globe face extreme poverty due to a lack of affordable resources raising serious humanitarian issues. Insecurity of supply to such communities is happening to such a degree that ignoring this concern amounts to be immoral as well as is inhumane.

Finally, there is the conundrum of sustainable development, for which we obviously need both enormous water and energy resources. No one can deny that global drive for development is carried out in many developing economies at the expense of the environment. As such, to make development sustainable, we need to provide global arrangements for better methods to urge the responsible use of these resources.

Yet despite the fact we know these challenges exist, neither the energy nor the water sectors have been able to satisfactorily address them in an accessible, affordable and accountable manner, even in the face of such ominous issues as global climate change.

In this context, I find it very encouraging that we have included, as part of next April’s World Water Forum, the Science and Technology Process.  This track has been conceived for the purpose of sharing developments in the latest cutting edge technologies.  I hope that this will be an opportunity for all those committed to solving this problem, including both scientists and business executives, to contribute their expertise.

I am sure that the name Michael Faraday is familiar to you all.  As you will recall he was an experimental scientist who, in early 19th century, developed both the principles of the dynamo and the electrical motor.  Without any theoretical background in electricity or formal training in science, he relied on intuition and inspiration to achieve the breakthrough technology that became the foundation of the electricity industry.

In a similar manner, I feel that rather than a theoretical approach, breakthroughs from experimental science and innovative technology will be the key to solving the challenges of the Trilemma.

As such I would like to see the World Water Forum be a platform where experimental scientists who share a passion to overcome and the determination to solve this enormous predicament facing our global community are welcomed.

The water-energy nexus is now well recognized by a global community of policy makers and civil activists, as well as the United Nations.  And, in an even more comprehensive sense, the U.N. has indicated that the most imminent global security issue is the food-energy-water nexus.

Without wishing to sound too alarmist, I see the complex challenges of the FEW nexus as capable of creating a “perfect storm.”  Unless addressed by a concerted effort on our part, this “storm” could potentially jeopardize the global economy and civilization as we know it.

As a pertinent example, I would like to cite the innovative work of a Korean company as a benchmark. Since 2007 this company has actively addressed the security issue in regards to not only energy and water but also food.  This is being done through a public private project directed towards developing countries facing serious energy poverty.

This company’s efforts began in Mongolia.  Initially, the purpose was to combat desertification.  Utilizing a stand-alone pumping system powered by solar and wind energy called “SolaWin” the system supplied power and water to off-grid locations.  It started by growing a tree nursery on a sustainable farm.

Now, not only has this project been able to fight the encroachment of the desert by planting trees, it has also been able to grow various kinds of fruits and vegetables.  Therefore in one system alone, a solution to the energy, water and food security issue has been provided. Solawin, a unique solution to the challenges face by the FEW nexus, also offers a sustainable business model.

Following its success in Mongolia, this project in the form of public-private partnerships has been replicated successfully in Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.

The SolaWin model has now been further refined so as to make once inhabitable islands habitable. This achievement exemplifies the need for developing and utilizing appropriate technology which can transform the challenges of the FEW nexus from a vicious circle into a virtuous circle.

This leads me to the conclusion that at the 2015 World Water Forum, we should not simply be discussing the water and energy crises.  Rather the Forum should be an opportunity to discover what we can do to solve these problems.  What is all the more encouraging to me is that our plans include setting up an “Action Monitoring System” under the overarching theme of “water and energy.” Here we will discuss (1) “Energy for Water,” (2) “Water for Energy,” (3)“Water and Energy: Economic Incentives, Policy and Regulations,” (4)“Multi-purpose Uses and Service of Hydropower Reservoirs,” and (5) “Off-grid Water and Energy Solutions in Developing Countries.”

The purpose of the Action Monitoring System will be to check on whether or not the results of our discussions at the 7th World Water Forum are being implemented by real time monitoring and feedback.

We are also designing a program that will create linkage between the 7th and 8th Forums so that the results of our monitoring can be presented in Brasilia in 2018.

Just as it is vital to obtain the political will to solve the world’s water problems, we also need the actual tools to address this issue.  We know that developing these tools is an important responsibility.

I look forward to today’s conference, which with your participation and wisdom, will be the starting point for our joint effort to find solutions to the water and energy crises at the 7th WWF--just six months away!

Thank you very much and see you in Daegu!