Poor should get access to high quality energy: TERI

Bangalore, Dec 14 (UNI) The weaker sections of the society should be provided with higher quality fuel to better their economic condition as they spent a substantial amount of their income on energy, mainly relying on traditional fuel, TERI Director General R K Pachauri said today.

Speaking at the third Future Environmental Trends Conference on 'Energy, Environment and Development - Analysing Opportunities for Reducing Poverty', organised by TERI, Institut Veolia Environment of France and research consortium IDDRI, he said people living in poverty relied more on traditional fuels and were vulnerable to the health impacts of inefficient bio-mass use, which also caused environmental problems. As they spent higher amount on energy, they were less likely to accumulate wealth to make investments in higher quality energy.

Dr Pachuri stressed on addressing various dimensions of poverty involved in enhancing the level of energy services and introducing specific technologies for cooking and lighting, which increased the use of other energy carriers or use of bio-mass in a scientific manner.

He said the newly introduced national environmental policy was an invigorating document and how effectively it would be implemented was vital.

The role of corporate sector in resource conservation was being given importance, while judiciary, which had been active in environmental matters, was extending a great helping hand. However, there was still a long way to go and the role of the Government in protecting the environment would be important.

''Regulations in environmental matters are extremely important, but an ultimate analysis to help protect environment is needed,'' he added.

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