Abu Dhabi, 16 January 2023 (TDI): In the 13th Session of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlined a five-point plan for the energy revolution.
“Only renewables can safeguard our future, close the energy access gap, stabilize prices and ensure energy security,” he said.
The world is still obsessed with the use of fossil fuels. That is increasing the emissions of greenhouse gases. Resultantly, global warming is increasing. The global temperature is rising to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
UN Chief said, “Under current policies, we are headed for 2.8 degrees of global warming by the end of the century.
The consequences will be devastating. Several parts of our planet will be uninhabitable. And for many, this is a death sentence,” he said.
Globally, only 30 percent of electricity is produced through renewable energy resources. That should be increased to 60 percent by 2030. And 90 percent by 2050.
Renewable energy sources currently account for about 30 percent of global electricity. The Five-point Energy Plan includes removing intellectual property barriers.
So, renewable technologies are treated as public goods. There is also a need to diversify and increase access to supply chains by countries. Without degrading the environment.
“This can help create millions of green jobs, especially for women and youth in the developing world,” said UN Chief.
In Belarus, UNDP helped build the country’s biggest wind farm. This would help Belarus to become energy-independent by 2050.
Similarly, there is a need to employ unbureaucratic ways. For approvals of sustainable projects and modernizing the power grids.
Another point focused on energy subsidies. He said, there is a need “to shift from fossil fuels to clean and affordable energy.” And “we must support vulnerable groups affected by this transition.”
The final point stressed public-private partnerships for long-lasting investments. That should triple to at least $4 trillion dollars a year.
The Secretary-General urged countries to work together to build a world rely on renewable sources of energy. He also focused on the role of multinational banks for investment purposes.
The President of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Kőrösi, emphasized how success in climate protection depends on the transition to clean energy.
He stated that “We are in a desperate race against time. We need bold transformative action to curtail climate change,” he said. “We have the knowledge. We have the means. We should only have the will.”
