India should invest in clean energy: Michael Bloomberg

As India gears up to discuss its strategy on climate change for the international climate agreement in Paris to be held towards the end of this year in Paris, Michael Bloomberg, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Cities & Climate Change, has advised India to adopt clean energy as one of the tools to mitigate the effects of environment changes. Addressing a session during RE-Invest – a conference for renewable energy – on February 16 in New Delhi, he urged both India’s private sector and foreign investors to continue developing and investing in the clean energy market which create knowledge-intensive jobs and support the nation’s goals.
 
“All of these steps are helping to position India as a crucial global leader in addressing climate change, as nations work toward an international climate agreement in Paris this December. No other country faces an energy challenge or has seized the energy opportunity on nearly the same scale and scope. Prime Minister Modi is showing that confronting climate change goes hand-in-hand with smart economic growth. And from my experience, he is absolutely correct to make cities a central focus of his work. The more India invests in sustainable cities, the stronger its economy will grow,” said Michael Bloomberg.
 
India with its most ambitious renewable energy programme in the world, with a target of 15% generation by 2020 is trying to become a lucrative destination for investment in this sector.
 
Piyush Goyal, minister of state for power, coal & new and renewable energy, assured that the Government will make sure that the investments in India will be protected and encouraged. “For a new investment destination the prerequisite is an atmosphere which makes to do business easier, consistency in policies, bankable contracts and prevalence of rule of law in the country. The entire aim of the government is to dovetail welfare measures which is meant for the under privileged and the last man in the street with the efforts of keeping our environment clean and with efforts of not doing anything which may affect the environment,” he added.
 
Piyush Goyal asserted that the government stands committed to use renewable energy as a contribution towards a cleaner and better world to take on challenges of climate change head on and to leave behind a cleaner, better and greener India for the future generation.