NEW DELHI: India and several other countries on Saturday launched the ‘Global Biofuels Alliance’ as Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the G20 countries to join the initiative with a plea to take ethanol blending with petrol globally to 20 per cent.
Other leaders at the launch, organised on the margins of the ‘G20 Leaders’ Summit’, included US President Joe Biden, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Other founding members include Argentina, Mauritius, South Africa and the UAE. Canada and Singapore have enrolled as observer countries.
“The launch of the ‘Global Biofuels Alliance’ marks a watershed moment in our quest towards sustainability and clean energy. I thank the member nations who have joined the alliance. Today, the need of the hour is that all countries should work together in the field of fuel blending. Our proposal is to take an initiative at the global level to take ethanol blending in petrol up to 20 per cent,” Prime Minister Modi said.
Or alternatively, PM Modi suggested, the alliance members could work on developing another blending mix for the greater global good, one that could ensure a stable energy supply while also contributing to climate security. “Along with India, all the countries of the ‘Global South’ are pleased that developed countries have taken a positive initiative this year. Developed countries have expressed their willingness to fulfil their commitment of $100 billion for climate finance for the first time,” noted Prime Minister Modi.
Tackling the climate crisis required global action, and while in New Delhi for the ‘G20 Leaders’ Summit’, US President Biden had continued to build innovative partnerships as part of a global effort to combat climate change, said a readout released by the White House.
‘Global Biofuels Alliance’ is the second India-propelled initiative in green energy after ‘International Solar Alliance’. Biofuel is a renewable source of energy derived from biomass, which is plant or algae material or animal waste.