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New York City, U.S.—— United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Administrator Achim Steiner told Al Jazeera that the world must use trillions of dollars of coronavirus pandemic recovery and stimulus measures to ensure that countries move toward a green economy.
Steiner, who is the co-chair of Friday Energy High-level Dialogue (HLDE) stated at the United Nations that this event is an opportunity for governments to take bold actions to popularize clean, affordable and reliable energy and end their dependence on fossil fuels.
Friday’s Energy Conference was held under the auspices of the United Nations General Assembly for the first time since 1981. It is also held a few weeks before the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be held later this year, which hopes to see countries commit to achieving the ambitious 2030 emission reduction targets.
Steiner, his task is to obtain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)-back on track, Sit down with Al Jazeera In June, at the beginning of his second term.
At that time, the head of the United Nations Development Program emphasized that rich countries need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in a green energy transition to ensure that poorer countries are not really left in the coal dust.
In a conversation with Al Jazeera’s senior commercial producer Radmila Suleymanova this week, Steiner urged countries with strong financial resources to fulfil their financial commitments to help the most vulnerable countries-those countries affected by the climate. Change has the greatest impact, but has the least contribution to climate change-greening.
*This interview has been edited for clarity.
Radmila Suleymanova: If the energy issue is so urgent, why did the UN General Assembly take 40 years to convene a meeting?
Achim Steiner: Okay, HLDE on Friday [high-level dialogue on energy] This shows that more and more governments-as well as the private sector-are realizing the importance of this issue. But this is not to say that there has been no energy movement in the past 40 years.
reply: What did you do?
As: For example, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched the “Sustainable Energy for All” initiative in 2011 to mobilize actions to support energy access, energy efficiency, and increase the share of renewable energy.
But what makes this HLDE so important is that it happens at the moment when we need it most.We are not on track to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement [on climate mitigation] Although we are not on the track of achieving SDG7 [which aims to guarantee that everyone on the planet has access to clean, reliable and affordable clean energy] By 2030.
reply: What statistics keep you up at night?
As: Three-quarters of all greenhouse gas emissions come from energy production. It is the main cause of the climate crisis, and it hits the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world the hardest. 760 million people still do not have electricity, 2.6 billion people continue to use dirty and unhealthy fuel to cook every year, and nearly 4 million people die prematurely due to household air pollution.
reply: So, is doing right on SDG7 the top of the SDG priority list?
As: All sustainable development goals are closely related. They aim to get rid of isolated responses to specific issues and meet the complexity of today’s challenges. SDG7 is about realizing the popularization of clean energy and realizing the opportunities that come with it.
An Afghan girl carrying dry wood for cooking fuel in the suburbs of Karachi, Pakistan [File: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]reply: what chance?
As: Then, by 2030, it can create approximately 18 million green jobs and new livelihoods.
Access to clean energy can help improve livelihoods and social mobility, gender equality, women’s empowerment and people’s health. Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 can rapidly expand education in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa, where half of the secondary schools do not have electricity. For others, renewable clean energy will increase access to important services, such as affordable broadband, the “nervous system” of the future green economy. Finally, accelerating the energy transition provides us with the 40% potential emission reductions we need to achieve our climate goals.
reply: So is it important to obtain energy correctly?
As: Yes, universal clean energy can help achieve all sustainable development goals.
reply: The pandemic limits the ability of countries to achieve sustainable development, doesn’t it?
Yes, COVID-19 has caused major damage to people’s lives and livelihoods. But to a certain extent, the pandemic has shown us our capabilities and possibilities: how quickly communities and nations can respond to imminent threats.
In Marana Village, Himachal Pradesh, India, a local health worker holds a box containing a COVID-19 vaccine [File: Adnan Abidi/Reuters]reply: Okay, so what must be done now?
As: Now, we need bold actions, including a fair transition to net zero emissions, and no one will be left behind in terms of universal access to energy. If given the opportunity and appropriate funding, clean energy will change lives and promote human development, especially in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. It will also put the world on the right path to tackle climate change.
reply: What do you want the government and companies to learn from Friday’s dialogue?
As: This is not only about how to power our economy now, but also about development 10 to 20 years from now. This is the beginning of a global collective action to refocus the world’s attention on sustainable energy and accelerate the energy revolution. COP26 will maintain and strengthen this momentum. But more work needs to be done.
reply: What is missing?
As: About 759 million people in the world do not have access to electricity, and 2.6 billion people do not have access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, lighting or heating. If current trends continue until 2030, there will still be 660 million people without access to electricity, and 2.4 billion people will not have access to clean cooking.
reply: Okay, is there any good news?
As: Yes. Since the Paris Agreement was signed in 2015, the proposed coal-fired power plants have been reduced by 76%. The cost of renewable energy is plummeting. It is worth noting that almost every country now chooses solar energy to be cheaper than building new coal power plants.
RS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was shocked by the energy and climate issues when he addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. Do you have the same sense of urgency?
As: Yes. Although it is encouraging to see some of the commitments made this week, including the passage of energy compacts and other climate-related announcements, we still have a long way to go to make COP26 a success and ensure that it marks a turning point in our collective efforts. There is a way to go to deal with the climate crisis.
Beijing, China, a day with air pollution, cars driving on the road [File: Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters]The latest report of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the Nationally Determined Contributions of all parties to the Paris Agreement shows that the world is on a catastrophic path of rising to 2.7 degrees [Celsius] global warming. The latest IPCC report shows that the window through which we must steer the planet in the right direction is now shrinking.
reply: It sounds like time is important!
As: We have almost no time for the world temperature to not exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius. This will trigger catastrophic climate change, first hitting the most vulnerable people in the world, but no one is immune to this emergency. In the words of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, it is “the red code of mankind.”
We need decisive action from all countries, especially the G20 [Group of 20 developed nations], Redouble our efforts and effectively contribute to emissions reduction. Developing countries need to be assured that their ambitions will receive technical and financial support, including a pledge by rich economies to raise $100 billion annually from public and private sources for mitigation and adaptation actions by 2020.
reply: Finally, as the former executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), what do you think is one thing missing in the global sustainable energy dialogue?
As: The COVID-19 pandemic is a clear warning. The zero-sum game of economy and environment or health and economy cannot promote recovery from this crisis. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to solve the problem, and I hope this ambition can be realized. Competition may be a good thing, but at this moment of the global climate crisis, we need to prioritize cooperation and “co-investment” to create a sustainable and more inclusive future for mankind and the planet.
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