U.N.'s Ban calls for green 'revolution'

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- More than 1 billion people lack access to electricity, the U.N. secretary-general in Abu Dhabi while calling for a "clean energy revolution."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during an address at the Fourth World Future Energy Summit in the United Arab Emirates, said energy advancements weren't percolating down to citizens in developing countries.

He said energy consumption could rise by 40 percent within two decades. Most of that increase will come from developing countries where 1.6 billion people don't have access to electricity.

"Our challenge is transformation," he said in his statement. "We need a global clean energy revolution -- a revolution that makes energy available and affordable for all."

Ban's advisory group on climate change called for global access to modern energy resources and a 40 percent increase in general energy efficiency by 2030.

The secretary-general said the international community needs to focus on universal access to better energy resources.

"We are on the brink of an exciting, sustainable future," he added. "Clean energy for all."