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France’s President Hollande calls for renewable energy spending

Hollande calls for more renewable energy spending http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=56456 16 Jan 13, French President warns failure to invest in developing renewable energy will increase demand for fossil energy, risks of global warming. Middle East Online

ABU DHABI – French President Francois Hollande called on Tuesday for pumping more investments in renewable energy projects to prepare for the post-oil era and to avoid global warming.

“If we don’t spend … we will have a catastrophe,” Hollande told the opening session of the World Future Energy Summit (WEFS) in Abu Dhabi.

Failure to spend in developing renewable energy will increase demand for fossil energy and “make its prices unaffordable,” besides increasing risks of global warming, he said.

Organisers of the three-day summit, which is held simultaneously with the first International Water Summit, say that around $257 billion were spent on renewable energy projects around the world in 2011.

Hollande said it is estimated that $300 billion of investments in sustainable renewable energy are needed this year but the requirement comes during the times of economic crises.

He called for all countries to contribute and proposed establishing joint funds between oil producing and consuming countries for the purpose.a new global roadmap to consolidate efforts to double clean energy by 2030 but warned the process must be accelerated substantially to achieve the target.

“International efforts to double the share of renewable energy by 2030 are attainable but need to accelerate substantially if they are to be successful,” IRENA said.

The target aims to raise the share of clean renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass to around 30 percent of global energy mix from around 16 percent currently.

“Based on estimates, by 2030, the renewable energy share will rise to just 21 percent, thus we will have a nine-percent gap,” IRENA Director General Adnan Amin told the closing session of the meeting.

A large number of experts and officials will be discussing issues related to sustainable renewable energy and the scracity of water resources especially in the Middle East throughout the meetings.

“France wants to make the transition in energy resources a national, European and global cause,” Hollande said.

January 17, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | France, politics