ID :
266319
Thu, 12/06/2012 - 20:28
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Leading Climate Expert Lauds Qatar s Using Solar Power

Doha, December 06 (QNA) - A leading climate expert and a member of The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), Lord Christopher Monckton praised Qatar s efforts on Thursday in making use of solar energy to sustain a portion of its power needs. In a press conference held today by the non-profit organization (CFACT), on the sidelines of the Doha climate conference COP18, Monckton, a climate skeptic cited HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani's speech that Qatar will sustain 2% of its electricity by year 2020 to be generated from solar energy. Monckton said that Qatar is now a pioneer in the field of solar power generation, being aware of the urge to use renewable energies. He stressed the need of having a continuous reliable source of power in developed and developing countries, alike rather than depending on fossil fuel as a source of energy. In that vein, he pointed to the abundance of sunlight and the vast area of desert Qatar is enjoying that helps enhances the implementation of this idea. "You’re not going to hurt any plants by putting the solar panels down at the desert to absorb sunlight generating electricity," Monckton said. He expressed his pleasure that Qatar has used these two elements smartly to limit the amount of renewable energy so as not destabilize the source of power. “It’s a wise policy and a sensible decision," the climate expert said. Speaking of the third world (developing) countries future adopting renewables as a source of energy, Monckton said developed countries are indeed lacking the needed technology and in some areas renewable sources don t exist in the first place. That s why developed countries should be giving them a hand in this regard, he added. Monckton believed that the developed counties are offering great support to the developing ones to utilize their renewables. “The countries of the west are generous to the developing countries," he said. He stressed the need, however, to highlight other "real" environmental issues. "We should focus more on some of the real environmental problems which are also developmental problems in the poorer countries such as deforestation," the climate expert noted. He suggested that some of these problems might be resolved "if the countries, which tend to cut down forests for financial reasons were given appropriate assistance by the international community." (QNA)

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