UNIDO calls for 'green' revolution

VIENNA, June 30 (UPI) -- Resources should be set aside to push for a "green revolution" in the international energy field, delegates at a U.N. energy conference in Austria proposed.

The U.N. Industrial Development Organization and the Austrian government concluded a three-day energy conference in Vienna to propose ways forward on allocating investments to achieve viable low-carbon resources.

"The current global financial and economic crisis must be used to our advantage to bring about a green energy revolution," said UNIDO Director General Kandeh Yumkella.

Yumkella called on world leaders to use the $3 trillion set aside in a global fiscal stimulus package to spur investments for the so-called green revolution.

He said "bold" action was needed to make energy an affordable, sustainable and efficient resource not just for the industrialized world, but for impoverished nations as well.

World leaders must move together to reshape international and domestic environmental policies to make expeditious moves on renewable energy developments and improve overall efficiency.

"To achieve a successful energy transition, we need a judicious mix of policies and investments in research and development," he said. "Proper policies will help eliminate market barriers, promote adequate power sector structures, and economically coherent pricing schemes could provide access to energy for all."