[Brief translation]
The leading researcher on ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC), which holds the promise of a clean energy source for the twenty-first century, is Haruo Uehara of the Institute of Ocean Energy, Saga University. Professor Uehara will give a speech at the UN headquarters in New York on April 27. Interested parties expect this to lead to greater global understanding of OTEC and its spread.
Uehara's speech will be given to the annual session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). The commission's members are a wide range of representatives from 53 nations--from national and local governments, corporations, NGOs, etc.--all looking into sustainable development, which includes research on new energy and the control of carbon dioxide emissions. OTEC has come under the gaze of the UNCSD and will be addressed at the annual meeting by Professor Uehara, an invited speaker, under the theme of "Water, Sanitation, and Human Settlements". Ministerial-level talks will begin the day after his speech, and the participation of government ministers of various countries is anticipated.