Climate change depends on widespread use of renewable energy

Climate change caused by global warming may be lessened by the widespread use of renewable forms of energy such as wind and solar power, an international panel of experts said Monday.

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said that for renewable energy to have a significant impact, countries would need to commit much more funding to developing renewables and integrating them into the power grid. Moreover, governments would have to trumpet the benefits of renewables in improving public health and air quality.

Panel members said that the use of renewable energy is becoming more affordable and widespread but will have to be complemented with the right public policies around the world to have a real impact on climate change.

"The report shows that it is not the availability of the resource but the public policies that will either expand or constrain renewable energy development over the coming decades," said panel chairman Ramon Pichs.

He added that the involvement of developing nations is crucial in making the plan against climate change possible.

"Developing countries have an important stake in this future - this is where 1.4 billion people without access to electricity live yet also where some of the best conditions exist for renewable energy deployment," said Pichs.

The panel's report is non-binding on UN members and is advisory in nature. Members discussed for four days to come up with the report which covered solar, bioenergy, hydropower, wind, geothermal and ocean energy.

The report said that all projects involving different forms of renewable energy must be encouraged and their development accelerated to replace non-renewables to prevent the catastrophic effects of climate change.