Speech The Swedish Trade Council seminar , New Delhi, India 04 February 2008
Andreas Carlgren, Minister for the Environment

Speaking notes at the Swedish Trade Council seminar "Environmental technology for sustainable urban development", India New Delhi, 4th february

First of all let me say that I am very pleased to be here today at this joint event between Sweden and India.

And I am very pleased to inform you that we, India and Sweden are practically ready to sign a Memorandum of Understanding between our two countries on cooperation in the field of the environment.

The Memorandum of Understanding will facilitate and promote joint activities and projects between Indian and Swedish partners in various sector: public, business, academia and civil society.

Environmental concerns have been a top priority for Swedish Governments since the first UN Conference on the Human Environment was arranged in Stockholm in 1972. Indira Gandhi was one of the participants. One, among many, results from the conference in 1972 was the establishment of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in India. In Sweden the Environmental Protection Agency was set up in 1967, but our Ministry of Environment and Energy was established first in 1987&..

More than thirty years have passed since the Stockholm Conference and we still face many environmental problems that we have to address. This morning, Mrs. Sunita Narain pointed out a number of the challenges that India is facing for me and my delegation . It was sobering to hear, but it is also my firm belief that India will be able to deal with them. We are impressed of your efforts, and confirm that many of issues we need to tackle together.

Climate change is the major environmental challenge of our time. It is the most prioritised environmental issue for me as Environment Minister and for the Swedish Government as a whole. Climate change affects every part of society and every individual. It is crucial to de-couple economic growth from increases in emissions and to start early. Sweden has shown that this is feasible, and we will continue to do so. It is clear that there is a considerable potential for emissions reductions if we are able to deploy effective policies. This makes sense not only from an environmental point of view but also from an economic one.

The Swedish CDM project in Tamil Nadu, hosted by the Swedish Energy Agency, which aims to produce biomass power from agricultural residuals, is a fine example of what we can achieve together. In addition to electricity power, this project will provide employment opportunities to the local communities and thus contribute to the alleviation of poverty.

As I mentioned, Sweden is among the countries that clearly have shown that economic growth is compatible with decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. Since 1990 our gross national product has grown by 44 %. At the same time our carbon dioxide emissions decreased by almost 9 % (8,7%). This has not been a quick fix. It has been made possible through setting long term goals. And through using a number of tools such as taxes and incentive programmes to reach these goals. Some of the most recent government measures concern promoting sustainable energy efficient cities.

Environmental problems of cities are compounded by the fact that today about half of the world´s population live in urban areas. It is estimated that by 2030 about 75 per cent will do so. The level of urbanisation varies around the Globe with significantly higher levels in developed and industrialised countries. In Sweden, for instance, the level is close to 85 per cent. As you are well aware, however, the most rapid urbanisation occurs in the developing countries of Africa and Asia. A large number of the biggest cities are and will be found on this continent.

The global urbanisation patterns put a lot of focus on the roles of cities - apart from being engines for economic growth, they are also the places where the most energy is consumed and where many social and environmental problems must be handled. Development puts a lot of pressure on infrastructure such as the water and sewage treatment, provision of clean drinking water, waste collection, adequate housing, as well as public transport systems and an electricity grid that is efficient and reliable.
Sweden has many successful and world-leading companies that have been exporting their products and services for many years and a number of these are established here in India.

Strict environmental legislation in the late 60´s as well as a rapid expansion of sewage treatment in the beginning of the 70´s created opportunities for new techniques and solutions. (There are similarities to that action and your national scheme JNNURM - Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission). It should be noted that, in addition to all the regular companies, much knowledge and competence is also available in the municipalities. Some of them are selling their skills to other countries, for example in the field of wastewater treatment, waste-collection and biogas. A number of these municipal companies are part of this delegation.

Planning as a tool for sustainable development should not be neglected. With planning and urban development we pave the way for new infrastructure and create the scene for future development. How we plan our cities and urban areas are of importance for the quality of life for the citizens, tourists as well as for business.

How should we provide drinking water with high quality, how should we treat the waster water, how will we solve handling of waste from households and industries? How can we minimizes the use of energy to heat/cool our buildings? these are all questions that need to be answered before construction start. In Vishakhapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a trial of a specific concept and a methodology is being undertaken - it is based on the knowledge that has been gained in Sweden and abroad from companies and officials when working with sustainable solutions especially in an urban setting.

Tackling the urban issues is a matter for industrialized as well as developing countries. In Sweden, we are currently starting a new program to support domestic sustainable urban development. Hopefully, this program can help Swedish cities become even more sustainable and, at the same time, provide an even better basis for international cooperation and trade for sustainable urbanization.

I would like to take this opportunity to say a few words about the Swedish delegation that is accompanying me. The delegation contains a number of companies and business people, from both the private and local government sectors. They have long practical experience of working with waste water treatment, biogas, handling of solid waste, transportation and much more. In addition, the delegation includes officials from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, the Swedish Development Assistance Agency and the Swedish Trade Council. Members of the delegation will have meetings with partners here in Delhi and elsewhere and I hope that they will be mutually beneficial.

During 2008 the Swedish Government will adopt a new country cooperation strategy for selective development cooperation with India. The Swedish Government would like to support the further development of partnerships of joint interest between Swedish and Indian actors in key sectors such the environmental field. It is the Government s intention to make environment the main focus area for Swedish development cooperation with India over the next five years.

In order to strengthen and facilitate cooperation between India and Sweden in the environmental field, te Swedish Government will establish a Swedish Center for Cooperation on Environment and Energy issues in New Delhi. We are currently discussion the details of how the Centre will function. One aim will be to facilitate transfer and exchange of knowledge and techonology between Swedish companies and institutions and Indian counterparts.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today I have the great pleasure to announce the birth of a new concept, SymbioCity - based on the knowledge gained in our work with Sustainable City. The SymbioCity trademark is an umbrella for a network of several hundreds of consultants, contractors and suppliers within sustainable urban development. SymbioCity promotes a holistic, integrated and multidisciplinary approach by focusing on possible synergies - either between different subsystems or between fields of action. At the same time, the use of renewable resources is emphasised, resource consumption is minimised and resources are managed in a way that maximises recovery and reuse.

Today´s seminar provides is a valuable stimulus to international exchange in the field of clean, green technologies. I hope that you will find the day useful and that this can be an impulse to a continued long and fruitful cooperation between Swedish companies and Indian counterparts. Let me also take this opportunity to thank all the organizers of this event.

Thank you.