American economist Jeremy Rifkin urged Romano Prodi on Saturday to use his clout in Europe to push the bloc towards a future in which all its energy would come from hydrogen and renewable sources.
Rifkin said the Italian premier had shown "great insight" during his presidency of the European Commission by launching a 2-billion euro programme to develop the technology needed for hydrogen fuel cells.
"Now it's time for Europe to work out an operational plan to build the infrastructure of an economy that can do without oil. Prodi can play a key role here," Rifkin told ANSA in an interview. He said he had written to the Italian premier recently explaining his ideas on how Europe could make a 25-year transition from fossil fuels to non-polluting renewable energies.
Rifkin pointed out that next spring the European Union would map out its energy policy for the coming six years. The time for Prodi to act was now, he said.
"We need leadership here. I've seen Prodi move mountains in Brussels. Now he must meet other leaders, use the respect he commands, and paint for them a vision of Europe's energy future".
Rifkin, author of the 2002 book The Hydrogen Economy, is the founder and president of the Foundation on Economic trends. He has written 17 books - many of them bestsellers - on the impact of scientific and technological change on the world.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Rome, he urged Prodi to look at California - the world's sixth biggest economy - when talking to fellow leaders about where Europe should be going. Pushed forward by governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, the former star of Hollywood action movies, the state is implementing a programme to create "a fully integrated, renewable energy-based, hydrogen economy over the next two decades," he said.
Rifkin, like many scientists, sees hydrogen as the answer to the problem of how to get sustainable energy when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. He argues that when renewable sources are available, some of the energy they provide should be used to obtain hydrogen from water. This could be stored in energy cells and used when required.
In California, hydrogen fuel stations are being built and targets set for growing numbers of hydrogen powered cars in circulation, Rifkin said enthusiastically. Meanwhile, renewable energy sources are being promoted and a state law demands that there must be a million solar-panelled roofs by 2016, he said.
"If a movie actor can do this, I think Prodi can aim for something similar in Europe," Rifkin said, noting that the basis for the transition had already been laid.
The EU has made a binding commitment to produce 22% of its electricity and 12% of its energy from renewable energy resources by 2010. The European Parliament recently established the non-binding goals of 33% of energy and 20% of energy by 2020.
Rifkin strongly contested the view that nuclear energy is a viable option for the 21st century, citing problems such as the cost, safety concerns and the risk of terrorist attacks.
But he noted that it was "suddenly in vogue" after a recent G8 summit at which the US and Russian presidents announced a far-reaching agreement to cooperate in the rapid expansion of nuclear energy worldwide.
He advised Italy and its European partners to ignore American and Russian calls for other countries to join them in developing nuclear power.
In a 1987 referendum, held in the immediate aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster, Italians voted to abandon nuclear energy. Now, however, with Italy consuming about six times the energy it produces and oil prices high, there have been calls for the nuclear option to be reconsidered.
"Italy did well to dump it and it should not change its mind now," Rifkin said. "Nuclear is a thing of the past".
