UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called has for a global renewable energy revolution at round table talks in Denver, Colorado, stating the world has ignored the science of climate change for too long; mining its way to growth and burning its way to prosperity.
"Countries that move quickly down a clean energy pathway will be the economic powerhouses of the 21st century. Their citizens will also enjoy cleaner air, better health, greater market competitiveness, and enhanced security," Mr Ban said.
The UN General Assembly has declared 2012 the International Year for Sustainable Energy for All.
The Secretary General also addressed researchers at the USA’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), stressing that providing clean energy solutions for the estimated 1.4 billion people living without electricity across the globe is the UN’s number one priority.
"When we put a priority on renewable energy we address job creation, we address climate change, women’s empowerment and food security,” Ban said. "Sustainable energy cuts across nearly every major challenge we face today and will face in the future."
The Secretary General said the UN’s aspiration was to double the capacity of global renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures in order overcome a state of "energy poverty" in underdeveloped countries, so that “every village in the world could have access to electricity by 2030.”
With the world’s population predicted to reach seven billion by the end of this year, and possibly nine billion by 2030, demand for energy resources will become critical economic and security factors for world leaders, but these challenges would also provide enormous business opportunities for both governments and the private sector, Mr Ban said in his speech to the NREL.
“These targets are challenging, but they can be met. The question is: who will be first? And who will profit most?”
