UN's Ban Ki Moon lauds Abu Dhabi's green leadership

The Secretary General of the UN has praised Abu Dhabi and Masdar City - the carbon-neutral site being built outside the UAE capital – for leading the way on renewable energy.

"Abu Dhabi is becoming justifiably renowned as a hub for progress. You have brought remarkable wealth from the desert sands, and used it to create a viable modern nation," Ban Ki Moon told delegates during the launch of the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

"The decisions we make today will have far-reaching consequences...and global energy needs are growing rapidly."

Ban warned that global energy consumption was set to rise by 40 percent in just 20 years.

The UN head also singled out China's role as the second-biggest wind power user, and the world's largest manufacturer of photovoltaic solar panels.

Ban also referred to the findings of a UN advisory board - on which Masdar CEO Sultan Al Jaber sits - which suggested that an investment of $35m a year until 2030 could result in access to clean energy for most of the world's population.

"That may amount to $700m, but that is only three percent of the predicted spend on global energy investment," he added.

Alongside the UN secretary general, Olaf Ragnar Grimsson, the president of Iceland, also spoke out on Abu Dhabi's renewable energy initiatives.

"Abu Dhabi has served as a primary venue for urgent discussions on clean energy issues," he said.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, both expressed their fears over climate change.

Both countries have been hit hard by natural disasters in recent months. Over 20m were made homeless in Pakistan due to flooding last year, while rising sea levels threaten as much as a fifth of Bangladesh's huge population.