Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen advocated addressing climate change as a solution to the global economic downturn in a speech at Tsinghua University, "Towards a Greener Future," here Monday.
"The current economic crisis must not mean that we will decrease our investments in climate change mitigation and environmental protection," Vanhanen said. "I strongly believe we can simultaneously achieve economic growth and address climate change."
He said investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency would create "green jobs" and ecologically sound infrastructure. "We need a greater understanding of how green technology and innovation will serve as the engine of economic growth, while simultaneously curbing global warming."
Vanhanen said the proper time to seek worldwide goals on global warming would be during the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December.
"The new climate accord will have to address the special needs of the most vulnerable developing nations," he said. "They have contributed the least to global warming" but suffer the consequences the most.
"This will improve our competitive advantage and create new green jobs."
Vanhanen also applauded China's efforts in environmental protection, saying China was devoting considerable stimulus funds to green measures.
Vanhanen started his China visit last Saturday and attended the2009 meeting of the Boao Forum for Asia in south China's Hainan Province.
