New Delhi: IEA (International Energy Agency) Executive Director Fatih Birol has urged nations and their governments to put renewable energy at the heart of economic stimulus packages being announced in response to the Coronavirus outbreak to avoid a rebound in carbon emissions.
"Putting clean energy at the heart of stimulus plans is an excellent strategy for revitalising economies while building a more secure and sustainable energy future," Birol said after co-hosting an online global ministerial meeting with Denmark.
"It is crucial to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Although emissions fell as a result of the 2008 global financial crisis, they soon rebounded sharply. We must learn from that experience," Birol said in a statement.
Birol co-chaired a virtual meeting with Danish Climate Minister Dan Joergensen in which the two discussed ways governments could pursue "green recoveries" to accelerate a transition to a low-carbon future as countries make efforts to revive the economy in a post-Coronavirus world.
"All of the countries that participated, institutions that participated, agreed that we need to do this in the right way, we need to see this as an opportunity for making green investments," Joergensen was quoted as saying.
The virtual meeting was attended by Union Power Minister RK Singh, Frans Timmermans, the European Union's climate commissioner, ministers from countries including France, Germany, Sweden, Britain, New Zealand and Indonesia, and representatives from Australia and other countries.