Abu Dhabi: If the wetlands had been in the same state as 30 years ago in New Orleans [in US], it would have cut the speed of the water by half and damage by 90 per cent when Hurricane Katrina hit there, former US president Bill Clinton said here yesterday.
He was driving home the need for conserving natural assets to prevent natural disasters at a speech at Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi yesterday. He repeatedly called for more investment in renewable energy to check global warming and to generate more job opportunities.
Highlighting the increased connectivity of people, thanks to globalisation, he mentioned its challenges also.
Clinton mentioned about the link between inequality and instability.
The economic model the world has been following has not been sustainable as it causes depletion of natural resources and environmental degradation, he said.
Economic inequality and lack of employment are causing street protests across the globe.
About the instability caused by global financial crisis, he said : "Some instability is necessary to the system. But too much instability freezes people up."
Clinton cited the summit in Abu Dhabi as a testimony to the growing environmental awareness in the region.
