New Delhi: The COP28 Presidency, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) released a joint report at the Pre-COP event in Abu Dhabi, aiming to triple global renewable energy capacity to at least 11,000 GW and double annual energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
Titled “Tripling Renewable Power and Doubling Energy Efficiency by 2030: Crucial Steps Towards 1.5 °C,” the report offers concrete policy recommendations to both governments and the private sector. This initiative aligns with the COP28 Presidency’s Action Agenda objective of accelerating a just and orderly energy transition, keeping the 1.5 °C target within reach.
The document comes ahead of the official COP28 summit and was unveiled at Pre-COP, a precursor event in Abu Dhabi. Its purpose is to lay the groundwork for negotiations at the global climate conference and to provide guidance on the necessary enablers to meet the set energy targets.
COP28 President Sultan Al Jaber, emphasized, “Tripling the deployment of renewable power generation and doubling energy efficiency are pivotal in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. I am now calling on everyone to unite, commit to shared goals, and engage in both domestic and international efforts, as detailed in this report, to turn our goals into reality.”
Echoing his sentiments, IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera stated, “Our mission is clear and pressing: We must collectively act to triple renewable power capacity by 2030. IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook, which forms the analytical basis of this report, indicates that the energy transition is alarmingly off-course. Immediate, radical collective action is essential.”
Bruce Douglas, CEO of Global Renewables Alliance, added, “The most significant pledge policymakers can make in the fight against climate change is to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency. The swift growth of renewable energy demands that policymakers, industry, and civil society collaborate closely to promptly execute the actions laid out in this report.”
The report, based on IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook 2023: 1.5 °C pathway, categorizes key enablers into five segments: Infrastructure and system operation, policy and regulation, supply chain capabilities, public and private finance scaling, and bolstered international collaboration.
In the lead-up to COP28, the collaboration of the COP28 Presidency, IRENA, and GRA highlights the mounting global agreement on meeting these benchmarks. The Presidency and the European Commission are currently advocating for nations to back the global renewables and energy efficiency pledge, with champion countries already pledging their support for these worldwide objectives.
