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They add that an energy transition centered on renewables is the only realistic way to solve the current energy crisis
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Without collective action on climate change, the world will face irreversible consequences, a senior official from the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) said in Abu Dhabi.
“If we don’t act, we will face a terrible abyss of irreversible climate consequences,” Irena director general Francesco La Camera said at a two-day council meeting that began on Thursday.
This year’s two-day semi-annual conference hosted by Uruguay brought together more than 400 delegates from 108 countries to discuss the world’s energy transition ahead of the annual UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.
“The Irena Council meeting comes at a critical time and provides an opportunity for the international community to strengthen cooperation and support the world’s commitment to climate action on renewable energy ahead of COP27 and COP28,” he said.
Fitzgerald Cantero, President of the 24th Council and Uruguay’s National Energy Director, noted that Irena must continue to lead the global penetration of renewable energy.
“The solution to alleviating energy poverty and the current energy crisis will come from renewable energy sources; those of us already on this path will take greater strides in this direction.”
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This year’s Council meeting will feature high-level events on pressing energy transition topics, including hydrogen, critical materials, agri-food and an enabling framework for energy transition in high-risk environments. Council members will also discuss Irena’s medium-term strategy and other related matters.
Although renewable energy capacity has continued to grow over the past decade, Irena believes the pace of change will not be fast enough to limit temperature rises to 1.5 degrees.
According to the agency’s World Energy Transition Outlook, an energy transition centered on renewables is the only realistic way to achieve the IPCC’s 2030 emissions reduction timeframe and 2030 sustainable development timetable goals. A tripling of renewable energy investment is critical for the scale and speed of the energy transition to reach the level needed to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
Separately, a new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report released Thursday found that the international community is still far from meeting the Paris target, with no reliable path to 1.5 degrees.
“This report tells us, in cold scientific terms, what nature is telling us throughout the year through deadly floods, storms and raging fires: We must stop flooding our atmosphere with greenhouse gases and stop moving fast,” Inge Andersen said, UNEP executive director.
“We have an opportunity to make incremental changes, but that time is over. Only a fundamental transformation of our economy and society will save us from accelerating climate catastrophe,” Andersen added.
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