- This call to action for tripling renewable energy capacity coincides with the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week.
- This goal is the most rapid and cost-effective way to decarbonise the global economy and mitigate climate change.
A group of over 200 climate and energy organisations from around the globe has called on world leaders and Parties to the Paris Agreement to set a global target of tripling renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 gigawatts by 2030. The organisations made this call in an open letter on Monday during the upcoming COP28 in the UAE. This call to action coincides with the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week.
The coalition of organisations, including Adani, American Greenpower, Ember, and the Energy Transition Commission, emphasised that achieving this goal, combined with increased energy efficiency, is the most rapid and cost-effective way to decarbonise the global economy and mitigate climate change.
The letter read in part, “Last year, power sector emissions reached an all-time high, and the UN assessed that no country is currently on a credible pathway to (limiting global warming to) 1.5 degrees Celsius. It is clear that we need a profound course-correction of the energy system in this decade, and time is running out.”
It builds on the momentum created during COP27, which highlighted the pressing need for a rapid energy system transformation and the commitment of the G20 grouping to triple renewable energy capacity by 2030. Policymakers, including the COP28 Presidency and international energy agency heads, are already working towards this ambitious target. This includes expediting the expansion of wind, solar, hydropower, and geothermal energy sources.
This accelerated deployment will also lay the foundation for emerging technologies such as long-duration energy storage and green hydrogen, ensuring clean energy and a secure and equitable global energy system by 2050, the group said. Renewable energy has already begun transforming communities worldwide by providing clean electricity, generating millions of green jobs, and attracting investment for economic growth.
It said that tripling these efforts presents a significant opportunity to reduce climate-related harm to nature and communities while fostering sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient development.