Mexican President Felipe Calderón at the GREF2009

Felipe de Jesús Calderón Hinojosa, President of Mexico, honored the co-organizers of the Global Renewable Energy Forum 2009 by his presence.

President Calderón addressed the audience during the Inaugural Plenary Session. The President said that humanity must pave the road to cleaner and less destructive energy, and lamented the skepticism and disbelief in climate change he encountered despite clear evidence of climatic impacts in North America and elsewhere. Drawing attention to the consequences already experienced by developing countries, he proposed changing the paradigm that only developed countries should mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. He concluded his address by underlying that renewable energy could contribute to closing the gaps between rich and poor and between man and nature.