Vice President Dr Mohamed Waheed outlined the Maldives’ carbon neutral energy plan, at an event in New York on Thursday evening. In a keynote address, the Vice President said it was high time the Maldives and other countries shift from oil to renewable sources of electricity.
In his speech, the Vice President noted that the growth and development of the country should no longer depend on oil usage, nor be linked to carbon emissions.
The Vice President said that a major part of the Maldives energy plan is a “cabinet-endorsed target to generate at least 60% of our electricity from solar power by 2020.”
The Vice President also revealed the government’s decision to ‘crowd source’ the carbon neutral energy plan by inviting energy and finance experts from the Maldives and around the world to contribute via an online consultation. The details of the consultation can be found on the website of the Ministry of Economic Development (www.trade.gov.mv). “Being a small country, the Maldives doesn’t have a huge amount of renewable energy expertise,” the Vice President pointed out, calling on people to help make the Maldives’ plans as robust as possible.
The New York event was hosted by the Global Campaign for Climate Action (GCCA), an alliance of more than 270 non-profit organizations all over the world. The GCCA works to promote the low-carbon transition of the world’s economies.
Also speaking alongside the Vice President was a minister from the United Kingdom, a representative from the United Nations and Kumi Naidoo, the head of Greenpeace International.
