UN official says the fossil fuel crisis is accelerating investment in renewable energy and reinforcing the global energy transition
UN Executive Secretary for Climate Change, Simon Stiell, today considered it an “immense irony” that those who want to keep the world dependent on fossil fuels are, unwittingly, pushing renewable energy.
Simon Stiell was speaking in Paris, at a “high-level dialogue” meeting on the energy transition organized by COP31, the next United Nations (UN) climate meeting, and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Starting by referring to the war in the Middle East and the “terrible human losses”, as well as the global economic problems that result from it, he pointed out that the fossil fuel crisis completely dominates the world economy, but from this tragedy emerges an “immense irony”.
“Those who fought to keep the world dependent on fossil fuels are, unintentionally, driving the global growth of renewable energy,” he said, pointing to the huge increase in investment in clean energy and noting that solar energy generation will increase by 600 terawatt hours in 2024.
The fossil fuel price crisis has made it impossible to ignore “the economic logic of renewable energy”, which “cannot be limited by maritime straits or global conflicts”, said Simon Stiell, pointing to countries such as Spain or Pakistan, whose investments in renewable energy have protected them from some effects of the current crisis.
Due to the fuel crisis, many governments are pushing renewable energy plans “full steam ahead”, as in France, where funding for electrification is doubling. And China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom, among others, “have made it clear that accelerating the transition to renewable energy is a pillar of energy security”.
Simon Stiell highlighted that this momentum must be taken advantage of, so that within two years, when a new global assessment of climate action is made (provided for in the Paris Agreement on climate), countries will be closer to the commitments made.
The official also highlighted the importance of cooperation, saying that many developing countries also want to adopt clean energy but do not have the money, which can be resolved if rich countries meet the climate financing targets agreed at UN climate meetings, the COPs, namely in the last two, in Baku, Azerbaijan, and in Belém, Brazil (1.3 billion dollars per year until 2035).
Immediately, he urged, countries should focus on energy storage networks and reducing methane, a very potent greenhouse gas, in addition to focusing on food security.
Today’s meeting is the first in a series of high-level “energy transition dialogues” in preparation for COP31, the next UN meeting taking place in November in Antalya, Turkey.
Organized by the COP31 presidency and the International Energy Agency, it brings together decision-makers and experts from around the world to discuss strategic priorities for the November meeting.
In addition to Simon Stiell, among others, the designated president of COP31, Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Turkey, and the executive director of the Agency, Fatih Birol, should speak.
High-level dialogues began during the presidency of COP28, in the United Arab Emirates, in 2023, followed by COP29, in Azerbaijan, and COP30, in Brazil.
