SM Fasiullah for BeyondHeadlines
Energy is scarce, expensive and vital for development, stated Prime Minister Manmohan Sigh at the inauguration of the Fourth Clean Energy Ministerial in New Delhi.
While noting the significance of clean energy, Mr. Singh said that it can “progressively substitute” for fossil fuel based energy, which damages climate through carbon dioxide and green house gases emissions.
“Greater use of clean energy obviously contributes to sustainability of the development process, and this issue will become more important in the years that lie ahead,” expressed Mr. Singh.
“Developing countries account for 82 percent of the world’s population and they use 55 percent of the available global supply of energy.
“They must aim at faster growth of their GDP to improve the living standards of their populations and this will entail an expanded demand for energy.”
Reacting on the speech by Mr. Singh at the Fourth Clean Energy Ministerial, Greenpeace India Senior Energy Campaigner Abhishek Pratap said it was disappointing.
“When the entire country is looking up to the Prime Minister for a clear pathway for solving the current energy crisis, his speech can best be described as disappointing,” Mr. Pratap noted.
“His statement today at the Clean Energy Ministerial shows no clear ambition and is a repeat of old promises on clean energy development.
“The Prime Minister is spelling out targets in his speech but the policy and regulatory mechanisms to realize that are missing, which happens to be the biggest bottleneck.”
