Page 3 - Aruba Today
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UP FRONT A3
Monday 30 November 2015
Tens of billions promised to boost clean energy tech
SYLVIE CORBET The “ambitious” effort to an early version of a docu- ment of technologies such “They are committed to
KARL RITTER develop clean energies ment obtained by the AP. as energy storage, which making increased invest-
SETH BORENSTEIN initially involves eight coun- President Barack Obama could make better use of ments in existing tech-
Associated Press tries — France, the U.S., revealed no details Sunday clean power from wind nologies and new break-
PARIS (AP) — Government India, South Korea, Saudi as he traveled to the talks, and solar regardless of the through technologies to
and business leaders are Arabia, Australia, Canada but wrote on his Facebook vagaries of weather. lower the cost of emissions
banking on clean energy reductions,” the former U.S.
technology to fight global Oxfam activists wear masks from left, of French President Francois Hollande, Chinese President Xi government official said,
warming, kicking off this Jinping, U.S. President Barack Obama, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chan- adding that Gates is par-
week’s high-stakes climate cellor Angela Merkel as they stage a protest ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, in Paris. ticularly concerned about
change negotiations by Oxfam wants world leaders to get the best climate deal for poor people. alleviating the “energy
pledging tens of billions of poverty” that denies power
dollars for research and de- (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) to millions of people in India
velopment. and elsewhere.
Microsoft founder and phi- and Norway — according page that “we’ll work to Led by Gates, about 20 pri- But a multinational re-
lanthropist Bill Gates, Presi- to a French official, who mobilize support to help vate business leaders have search effort combining
dent Barack Obama and asked not to be named the most vulnerable coun- signed on to the initiative, the investments of govern-
French President Francois for lack of authorization to tries expand clean energy making their pledges con- ments, corporations and
Hollande will announce speak. and adapt to the effects of ditional on governments private individuals could
the new initiative on Mon- These countries would climate change we can no also pledging more money, create intellectual property
day, committing to spend pledge to double their longer avoid.” said a former U.S. govern- problems. It also remains
tens of billions of dollars spending on low or no-car- The money would focus ment official who is familiar to be seen how much of
for a technological fix to bon energy, according to on research and develop- with the plan. this money is new and how
the planet’s climate woes, much will involve repack-
three current and former aging old promises.
officials have told The Asso- “The Obama administra-
ciated Press. tion recognizes that this is a
“It’s quite a big deal,” said fundamental competitive
Jennifer Morgan, global cli- advantage for the United
mate director for the World States,” the former U.S. of-
Resources Institute. “It ficial said, but getting such
brings a new kind of burst funds approved by a Re-
of energy into the confer- publican-controlled Con-
ence right at the beginning gress could be difficult.
on something very impor- The conference center
tant.” where more than 140 na-
The U.N. climate summit tions will be meeting for
formally opened Sunday two weeks began to bus-
afternoon with a minute of tle Sunday as lower-level
silence for the victims of this negotiators arrived, and
month’s Paris attacks and U.N. climate chief Chris-
vows not to let terrorism de- tiana Figueres expressed
rail efforts to slow or stop cli- optimism about the
mate change. outcome.q
