Moody-Stuart said the current political commitment of most nations to renewables and the financial framework behind them needs to change if the two billion people in the world struggling without electricity were to get access to affordable power.

"If renewables are to flourish we must look at methods of financing the high up-front cost of green energy. Governments from Northern countries need to remove inappropriate subsidies and switch to supporting renewable energy," he told reporters at the launch of a campaign by Greenpeace and ethical beauty retailer Body Shop to promote green electricity.

Moody-Stuart said developed countries need to meet at least 10 percent of their electricity needs from renewables within 10 years. Although some developed countries have goals of this order, many do not.

The cost of producing green electricity is currently more expensive than from fossil fuel, but a recent study by the British government forecasts wind power will undercut conventional fuels over the next 20 years.

Sharing a platform with Greenpeace, former adversaries from his Shell days, Moody-Stuart said there was a need for creating environments to trade renewable energy in addition to government targets on green output.

"Trading in renewable energy and trading in green certificates and emissions is necessary," he said.

Steven Tindale, executive director of Greenpeace UK, said renewable power made economic and not just environmental sense.

"We are not looking for a fossil fuel ban, we are looking for a phase-out. We estimate the cost of getting green electricity to the two billion people living without it would be $250 billion over 10 years."

Gordon Roddick, co-chair of The Body Shop which is offering UK customers advice in switching to green energy and encouraging global customers to lobby for change in local countries, said it was important renewables would have an important place at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johanesburg in September.