UN General Assembly
2006

intake of protein. At the same time, we are seeing a rapid increase in pollution of the ocean and depletion of its living resources. That is why Iceland has prioritized this area in its development cooperation and in the work of the fisheries department of the United Nations University in Iceland. Energy issues also loom large. While Icelanders enjoy the good fortune of having clean, renewable energy for 70 per cent of our total energy use, energy issues are increasingly becoming one of the main drivers of the sustainable development agenda within 15 06-53609 the United Nations. Two billion people lack access to electricity. All eight Millennium Development Goals will require greater energy consumption. Unfortunately, more energy consumption in most cases means greater greenhouse gas emissions. One of our greatest challenges today is to square the development circle, to meet our development needs while safeguarding the environment. One way certainly is to increase substantially the share of renewables in world energy demand. That is why Iceland is taking an active part in promoting renewables and new