YOKOHAMA, Japan -

With demand for petroleum growing because of the number of vehicles in use worldwide, Nissan president and chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn is ready to lead a charge for change.

In a special editorial published by Forbes, Ghosn shares his reason in a piece titled,“Three Ways Carmakers Can Save the World.”

“United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, through his initiative on Sustainable Energy for All, is challenging governments and private companies to use traditional energy resources more efficiently and expand the use of renewable energy sources,” Ghosn began.

“I’ve agreed to help find solutions because this issue is critical to the future of my industry — auto making,” he continued. “About 25 percent of global oil output is used to fuel cars and light trucks. That’s about 1 billion tons of petrol a year. Meanwhile, the planet’s demographics and energy needs are shifting dramatically. In my lifetime, the world’s population has grown from 2.7 billion to more than 7 billion people. In 1999, consumers in China bought 600,000 vehicles. Last year, Chinese consumers bought more than 17 million vehicles.

“If vehicle manufacturing were a country, it would be the world’s sixth largest economy,” Ghosn goes on to write. “We have a social responsibility to ensure that this industry grows sustainably — and if we uphold our responsibility, we will increase the quality of life for everyone on our planet.”

For automakers, Ghosn believes there are three keys to success in improving energy efficiency and expanding the use of renewable energy.

To read the Ghosn’s entire commentary, go to this site.