Group for the Environment, Renewable Energy and Solidarity (GERES) is an international development NGO set up in
Marseille
Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
in 1976.
Background
The ''Groupement pour l'Exploitation Rationnelle de l'Energie Soldaire'' (Group for the Rational Use of Solar Energy) was founded on 14 September 1976, following the first oil crisis, at the initiative of teachers/researchers working with Georges Peri. Its aim was to put researchers and professionals in touch in order to develop solar energy solutions.
GERES changed its name first in 1986 (''Groupe Energies Renouvelables'' / Renewable Energies Group), again in 1994 (''Groupe Energies Renouvelables et Environnement'' / Renewable Energies and Environment Group), and then finally in 2008 (''Groupe Energies Renouvelables, Environnement et Solidarités'' / Group for the Environment, Renewable Energy and Solidarity) as it broadened its areas of intervention.
In 2004, GERES launched CO2Solidaire, the first French carbon offsetting programme.
Activities
As an organisation specialising in sustainable and
renewable energies
Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and ...
, climate change and environmental protection, GERES works for an
energy transition
An energy transition (or energy system transformation) is a major structural change to energy supply and consumption in an energy system. Currently, a transition to sustainable energy is underway to limit climate change. Most of the sustainab ...
, along with natural resource conservation and improved living conditions for local people, both in Europe and in the developing world.
As lead agency for the Climate and Development Committee of Coordination SUD, for the period 2013 - 2016, GERES is working with other NGOs to engage in advocacy with authorities aimed at guiding national and international climate change policy.
GERES promotes renewable energy use and local economic development in four broad geographic areas:
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and the Mediterranean,
West Africa
West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...
,
Central Asia
Central Asia is a region of Asia consisting of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The countries as a group are also colloquially referred to as the "-stans" as all have names ending with the Persian language, Pers ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
.
It is present in a dozen or so countries working alongside local development actors around five core themes:
* clean energy production
*
energy efficiency Energy efficiency may refer to:
* Energy efficiency (physics), the ratio between the useful output and input of an energy conversion process
** Electrical efficiency, useful power output per electrical power consumed
** Mechanical efficiency, a rat ...
and energy saving
* economic development
* local policy and land use
*
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Organizations established in 1976
Environmental organizations based in France