Head Of Royal Society Implores G-8 For More Funding Of Alt. Energy - BBC

[hatrack]

World leaders have been urged to put more money into developing new energy technologies to tackle global warming. Royal Society president Martin Rees wants a publicly funded international research programme, he says in the US journal Science.

Lord Rees says a pledge to increase governments' investments in energy technologies should have been made at the recent G8 summit in Russia. He describes a "worrisome lack of determination" among world leaders.

Lord Rees said: "Energy security was a key issue at the St Petersburg summit of G8 leaders last month. "Their joint communique included many important commitments, but it omitted one crucial pledge - a significant increase in their governments' investments in R&D (research and development) for energy technologies."

EDIT

Public funding for energy research across the world has halved in real terms since 1980, and in the UK it is now one-tenth of what it used to be. Lord Rees says the UK and US have taken some steps towards tackling the problem but there is an urgent need to increase efforts in research and development.

EDIT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5244240.stm

[longship]

1. Sir Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal

He's also the host of a pretty damned good science program from BBC-4
entitled What We Still Don't Know.

[NNadir]

2. I think it is more important to build actual facilities.

We have a great deal of energy technology already available. We do not necessarily have time to invent something new.

Some of these technologies, including renewable technologies, are expensive. But it is better to build what we know how to build rather than sit around waiting for something better.

Suppose we wish to invest $100 billion dollars in renewable technologies - something with which I have no problem by the way. Is it better to spend $100 billion dollars on research or $100 billion dollars on wind farms?

Mind you, I think the energy/climate change situation is bad enough that the investment overall should be in the trillions of dollars. That said, investments in research do not necessarily give either quick or overwhelming returns.

I do understand the Royal Society asking for more research however. That is what they are paid to do, research.