Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, stated on Friday that more than 110 nations want the COP28 climate negotiations to set a target of tripling renewable energy and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.
The G7 and G20 countries have since joined the European Union in calling for the revised objective, which was first proposed earlier this year by the United Arab Emirates, the hosts of COP28.
G20 countries alone are responsible for around 80% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
At the UN climate negotiations in Dubai, Von der Leyen told leaders that it was “fantastic” that more than 110 countries had already ratified the objective.
“I call now on all of us to include these targets in the final COP decision, because this sends a strong message to investors and consumers alike,” she said from the podium.
The discussions about the renewables goal are both separate but closely linked to far more difficult negotiations about whether a final COP28 deal will commit nations to phasing down — or phasing out — all fossil fuels.
In September, when G20 nations committed to “encourage efforts” towards tripling renewables capacity, their final statement remained silent about the future role played by fossil fuels, which account for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions.
To replace the need for fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas that heat the planet, all realistic routes to reaching global carbon neutrality by the middle of the century require large increases in wind, solar, hydroelectric, and other renewable energy sources like biomass.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), this is “the single most important lever” for lowering carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels and limiting warming below the ambitious 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold compared with the pre-industrial period set by the Paris Agreement.
Progress has already been made. The capacity of renewable energy rose by 11% annually on average between 2015 and 2022.
According to the IEA, 2023 will see unparalleled growth of almost 30 percent against the backdrop of skyrocketing oil costs and energy insecurity connected to the conflict in Ukraine.
Not every nation will need to reduce emissions in the same way. More than half of the 57 countries that the think tank Ember examined were expected to meet or surpass their 2030 goals.
However, there’s still more space for development in other major emitters including Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the United Arab Emirates.
