A high-level conference on 'climate change' opened here Friday, with participants from nearly 100 governments, international and non-governmental organizations presenting views and proposing measures on technology development and transfer in response to climate change. In a speech at the Conference's opening session, Ali Ibrahim Al-Nuaimi, Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia welcomes the convening of the conference, which is being held on an appropriate time to address important issues such as the development and transfer of technology and other matters related to the treatment of potential climate change and adaptation. "We look forward to achieve the desired results. We are meeting at a crucial time in an attempt to find options to address challenges of climate change and adequate supplies of energy and sustainable economic development, and we believe firmly that the technical options as one of the most important factors, will be helping us meet these challenges. "When we look at history, we find that technology played a pivotal role in enhancing human conditions through centuries. It made for us train, cars, aircraft, computers and the Internet. It also reduced distances between countries and civilizations. In the area of the environment itself, technology helped to reduce the technical-exhaust emissions in new cars by more than 90% since the invention of the car," he added. "We feel that technology must take its rightful place in providing value solutions to the challenges of the climate change. I think ,we only hit the crust with regard to technology designed to mitigate the effects of climate change, research and development and the innovation in this area needs much more attention than it is nowadays, including, but not limited to, enhancing the efficiency of energy significantly in many applications, future types of cleaner fuel, both conventional and non-convetional, and many ways to separate and store carbon, in addition to a number of techniques which are not yet emerged." --More
