Global Lowering of Energy Supply Emissions May Take 40 Years - Scientist

The global transition of the energy supply system to low emissions may take up to four decades, the Australian government's Chief Scientist Dr. Alan Finkel told Sputnik in an interview on Wednesday.

VIENNA (Sputnik), Alexander Mosesov — He called for starting the work on the transition to a low-emissions economy straight away given the process promises to take a while to be completed.

"There's no doubt that we have to transform energy supply, whether it's electricity or fossil fuels, we have to move towards a low-emissions economy. The energy market, the energy supply system is massive. It is very hard to change and a substantial change would take 20, 30 or even 40 years," Finkel said on the sidelines of the 60th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.

Despite political differences between Russia and Australia, it is important to keep alive relations between the nuclear scientists of the two countries, Finkel said.

In September 2014, Australia's then-Prime Minister Anthony Abbott suspended uranium sales to Russia under a nuclear cooperation agreement until further notice due to the crisis in Ukraine.

"You can't deny the politics, you cannot pretend it's not there, but in terms of nuclear technology use for science, that comes at much lower level of political concern. And that way, I would hope, we could build bridges. We should maintain science relations as much as we can. And when there is a political opportunity, we are ready to move into the gap, move into the door when the door opens," the scientist said.

The Australia-Russia nuclear agreement does not allow the use of Australian uranium in Russian power plant but only its enrichment for third countries.

The agreement also forbids the use of nuclear materials or technology, transferred under the deal, for military purposes.

The IAEA 60th General Conference is taking place in Vienna, Austria on September 26-30. The annual meeting brings together high-ranking officials and representatives from all 168 IAEA member states.