In a collaborative effort, the presidency of the upcoming COP28 climate summit, along with two prominent renewable energy organizations, has urged governments to triple their renewable energy capacity by 2030. The aim of this initiative is to prevent global warming from exceeding the critical threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
This call to action comes ahead of the latest round of global climate negotiations scheduled to commence in Dubai in late November. The negotiations will primarily focus on addressing gaps in the implementation of the 2015 Paris Agreement, which established the imperative 1.5°C ceiling to avert catastrophic climate change.
A joint report by the United Arab Emirates' COP28 presidency, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Renewables Alliance emphasizes the need to expand renewable energy capacity to more than 11,000 gigawatts (GW) by 2030.
Several major economies, including China, the United States, and India, have already expressed their commitment to this goal. In September, the Group of 20 nations concurred on the importance of tripling global renewable energy capacity by the end of this decade.
Scientific consensus warns that without swift and substantial reductions in CO2 emissions, the Earth is on track to surpass the 1.5°C threshold within the next decade, leading to more severe and irreversible consequences for both human societies and the natural world.
However, achieving a consensus among the nearly 200 countries that participate in COP28 meetings remains a challenging task. European nations and those most vulnerable to climate change argue that simply agreeing to ramp up clean energy is insufficient. They contend that such an agreement must also include a commitment to phase out CO2-emitting fossil fuels, a stance that has encountered resistance from fossil fuel-dependent economies such as Saudi Arabia and Russia.
European Union climate policy chief Wopke Hoekstra underscored this point by stating, “You cannot just have the renewables goal and then call the COP a success” during an event in Brussels.
The forthcoming COP28 talks will be overseen by Sultan al-Jaber of the United Arab Emirates. However, this choice has faced criticism from some U.S. and EU lawmakers, as well as environmental campaigners, given that he is the head of the state oil company, ADNOC, and serves as the UAE's climate envoy.
The joint report also advocates for doubling energy efficiency, emphasizing the need for well-defined targets with specific time frames, robust regulatory frameworks, financial incentives, and awareness campaigns to propel the transition towards a sustainable and low-carbon future.
