The United Nations welcomed commitments by member states to move towards renewable and clean energies but warned that more work was needed to tackle global energy poverty and decarbonize the global energy system, at a historic summit on Friday.
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – September 26, 2021 – Forums and Conferences
Governments and the private sector committed a total of $400 billion in new financing and investment during the United Nations High-Level Dialogue on Energy, the first such meeting in more than 40 years.
More than 35 countries, including Arab and Gulf countries, participated in the conference, and many announced funding and partnerships that would help local and global transformations towards a sustainable energy system.
According to the United Nations, approximately 760 million people worldwide lack access to electricity, and 2.6 billion people lack clean cooking solutions – the cost of closing this “energy access gap” is estimated at $35 billion per year for electricity and $25 billion for clean-up. to cook.
The United Nations said this transition must take place without further contributing to global warming.
According to the United Nations, the world is dangerously close to losing its target, agreed as part of the Paris climate agreement, of no more than 1.5 degrees of global warming above pre-industrial temperature – leading to potential catastrophe for people and the planet.
Among the countries committed to alleviating energy poverty without harming the environment in the United Arab Emirates, where the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Nuaimi, said at the conference that his country was “honored” to be part of the global energy revolution.
“Today, the UAE is home to three of the largest capacity and least expensive solar power plants in the world. “So far, we have invested more than $40 billion in clean energy projects locally,” Al-Naimi said.
“Globally, we are proud to provide more than $1 billion in renewable energy aid,” he said, adding that a major asset in the UAE’s energy transition has been mobilizing the country’s burgeoning private sector.
As part of the Energy Dialogue event, the UAE has committed to providing 100 percent of its population with access to electricity by 2030, primarily powered by clean fuels. The UAE has also committed to expanding the solar energy sector.
But while the global shift to clean energy is of paramount importance in combating climate change and alleviating poverty, International Energy Institute CEO Fatih Birol warned that “we must not forget that energy provides important economic and social development. Energy brings light, energy, heat, and coolness to our homes and hospitals; For cooking and traveling. These are the legitimate desires of everyone in the world.”
However, Birol said that a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions could have been achieved with the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which set out a series of goals that the international community has recognized are necessary to provide a sustainable and livable world by 2030.
“This is a race against time. We must not forget – unless all nations finish this race, no one will win the race. As such, international cooperation is critical to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals,” Birol said.
In his speech, US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry embraced international cooperation to combat climate change, and said Friday’s meeting “could not come at a more important time.”
Kerry committed the United States to get 80 percent of its electricity from clean sources by 2030 and said the US International Development Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, would decarbonize its investment portfolio.
“Around the world, the United States will continue to strengthen clean energy infrastructure, in order to drive economic development,” said Kerry, who also announced that the United States would provide 35 million new electrical connections in African homes and businesses across the continent.
“By working together, we will do what the scientists tell us we can do, which is win this battle,” he said. “We have the opportunity. It’s not a question of a lack of ability, it’s a lack of will.”
Source: Ukrgate
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