Subsidy cuts are answer to energy waste: IRENA

A reduction in energy subsidies could be the key to conserving energy, according to Adnan Amin, the director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency.

In an interview with Gulf News, the senior energy official said that a change in individual patterns of energy consumption is necessary now that the world has reached certain limits of sustainability.

“People need to take their use of energy and water seriously, given the climate change and resource depletion the world is facing,” he said. “In the UAE, where consumption of both is highly subsidised, a progressive reduction in subsidies, although unpopular with people, will signal that they need to reduce their consumption or prevent wastage of water and energy.”