MOSCOW, March 16 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian industry and energy minister said Thursday he did not see any irreconcilable differences between energy and environmental security.
"I do not see [any] antagonistic, irresolvable differences," Viktor Khristenko said at a news conference following a meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations' energy ministers.
He said hydrocarbons were a necessary energy source, and that as a fuel, they did not threaten the environment.
Khristenko said the number of fuel sources in the very structure of the energy balance would increase, with more use for renewable energy sources, the hydropower industry and the nuclear power industry.
Japanese Senior Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akira Nishino said that modern life was "becoming more and more high-tech-oriented" and that the amount of energy consumed worldwide was "constantly growing."
He said a policy of energy saving and the introduction of new technology in energy consumption could be helpful.
