Shyam Saran insists reliance on renewable sources of energy

New Delhi, Mar 16 (ANI): The Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Climate Change, Shyam Saran, on Monday underlined the need to make the strategic shift from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy.

Saran added that the shift needs to be made now and should not be delayed any further.

"We need to ensure that energy does not become a constraint on our growth. We demand that we make that strategic shift from reliance on fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy and that shift has to start now," said Saran.

Saran had earlier said negotiations at a key Copenhagen climate summit in December would not yield any result if Western nations linked any cut in their emissions to targets accepted by developing countries.

Developing countries want rich nations to set robust targets by 2020 from 1990 levels as a sign of their commitment to fighting global warming.

Saran had repeated India's stance that it was not in a position to commit to an emissions target.

About 190 countries are trying to craft a broader climate treaty by December to replace the Kyoto Protocol that only binds wealthy nations to emissions targets between 2008 and 2012.

Rich and poor countries remain divided over funds for clean energy investment and technology transfer, as well as new targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions blamed for causing droughts, floods and disease.

Developing nations such as India and China are exempt from adopting emission targets under the Kyoto Protocol because they need to burn fossil fuels to lift massive chunks of their population out of poverty. (ANI)