The public will tonight have the chance to contribute to one of the most pressing issues of our times.

Energy and environment expert Dr. John Byrne, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), will address a Department of Energy forum on the urgency of a National Energy Policy for Bermuda.

The meeting is one of a series of public consultations to draft a Green Paper with recommendations on energy efficiency, conservation and renewables.

Dr. Byrne, Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy (CEEP) and Distinguished Professor of Public Policy at the University of Delaware in the US, is to consult with Government as to which strategies may best suit the Island.

He told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "Bermuda is one of the early warning systems of climate change because of sea level rise and the potential for more intense storms. Our island communities are going to see the early impacts of climate change, so addressing this in Bermuda is an urgent matter.

"Bermuda needs to change its energy policy but only in the way the world needs to. We all need to shift from a fossil fuel-based system to one built on renewable energy, and Bermuda has an opportunity to do some very innovative things because of its special assets."

Dr. Byrne said that the Island could prove a role model for the rest of the world in terms of its current sustainable initiatives and in adopting creative sources of renewable energy.

"Bermuda has a wealth of solar energy and this is an area the community should consider carefully," he said.

"Wind energy could also make a contribution, such as creating electricity during off-peak periods rather than the hotter times of the day.

"Here in Bermuda you have rich resources of solar energy and areas where wind energy may be viable. You are also testing wave technology (plans by Renewable Energy Holdings and Triton Renewable Energy for a 20 MW wave power installation) which has promise."

Dr. Byrne added: "In terms of transportation, you are unique in having a limit on the number of cars per household and a higher percentage of scooters.

"I think Bermuda has a leadership role in that regard because the second biggest source of CO2 in the modern world after buildings is car emissions. Bermuda has some of the most interesting strategies in that way, such as a lack of tariffs on electric scooters and vehicles to make them more of an incentive, and the limit on cars per household."

Dr. Byrne said that the annual carbon dioxide output per person in Bermuda was 11 tons, compared to 20-21 tons per person in the US.

"Our planet's carbon cycle is about 3.3 so to be in balance we need to be at about 3.3 tons," he said.

"We all need to cut emissions. It is one atmosphere and we really need to take better care of it than we have been doing. We all need to commit to a de-carbonisation of modern society that gets back the balance."

In terms of reducing Islanders' output from 11 to 3.3 tons, he said: "We need to think carefully about many things. There's no silver bullet to solve this problem.

"Our buildings need to be much more energy efficient and we need to use the radiant solar energy for our needs, both for hot water and electricity. We also need to make changes in transportation.

"There are signs of more electrical scooters and the arrival of a plug-in hybrid, but you have a greater problem than most other societies because you need to import goods. When you bring anything to the Island there's a carbon number behind that due to using fossil fuels for transportation, so a vigorous recycling, reuse and reduction programme is very important.

"Also, an energy platform of oil and diesel is not easy to afford these days and will be less so in the future, so we need to think about replacement non-carbon fuels.

"From an economic and energy perspective, Bermuda needs an opportunity to control its destiny because, right now, the global oil industry is having an impact on your future."

Dr. Byrne suggested a target for the Island of 10 to 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2015 – in line with international trends.

"However, I think the highest priority needs to be energy efficiency and conservation," he said. "Energy efficiency will bring you more handsome dividends within the same time zone. It is the best way of saving energy.

"To make all of this work, however, the most important thing is a good policy platform, where you give incentives for all members of society to participate.

"The people need to have the public consultation and make the right policies for Bermuda. The first priority is that citizens are ready to make the important steps to change."

In terms of incentives, Dr. Byrne said Government could consider lowering import duties for lower carbon vehicles and introducing energy efficiency standards for buildings - domestic, commercial and within the hotel industry.

Commenting on the Environment Ministry's rejection of a micro-wind turbine on a house on Harbour Road, Warwick, last year, due to its "visual impact" on the Grade Two-listed building, Dr. Byrne said any potential conflict between the aesthetics of Bermudian architecture and energy renewables could be eased using flat roofs and the rear of a building.

"You have an extraordinarily talented design community here and I think that community can now be challenged to come forward with proposals to meet the aesthetic appeal of Bermuda and enable the Island to meet its sustainability goals," he said.

Dr. Byrne added that Bermuda's unique water harvesting system was another example to the world of energy efficiency and sustainability, and so special consideration needed to be given to the location of solar panels and wind turbines.

Explaining that the Island's roofs catch one billion gallons of water from the 1.7 billion consumed annually, he said: "That is an extraordinary combination, so in some cases you need to keep your roofs exactly as they are and take the green premium which they provide.

"The way in which you secure, store and distribute water is a very sustainable energy policy, so Bermuda has a great opportunity here. This is another way in which Bermuda has an opportunity to lead."

The Department of Energy Public Town Hall Meeting takes place in room G301 at Bermuda College this evening at 7 p.m.