Over 60 countries back deal to triple renewable energy this decade
More than 60 countries have said they back a deal spearheaded by the European Union, United States and United Arab Emirates to triple renewable energy this decade and shift away from coal, two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
The EU, U.S. and UAE have been rallying support for the pledge ahead of the U.N.’s annual COP28 climate negotiations to be held Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai, and will call for its inclusion in the final outcome of a gathering of world leaders on Dec. 2, the officials said.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: renewables
Renewable energy sources — once the fuel of the future, then practical in specific, narrow applications — are increasingly economic mainstream sources of power generation. Hydropower was long the mainstay of U.S. renewable electricity generation, although wind power surpassed hydro for the first time in 2019, and solar continues its rapid growth. The continued growth of wind and solar, with their fluctuations, is tied in part to improvements in storage technology: batteries.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate diplomacy
Talks are well underway in preparation for the next major international meeting on climate change, 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28), scheduled to begin Nov. 30 in the United Arab Emirates.
Much like last year’s COP27, finances — specifically, aid to developing nations — will be at the center of conference deliberations.
The conference faces an even greater sense of urgency brought on by the Sept. 8, 2023, release of the first global stocktake, which calls for accelerated action to meet the goals set in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement (COP21).
Climate diplomacy: COP 27 | Climate diplomacy: COP 28 | Climate diplomacy: COP 29