Electricity supply with renewable energy and low emission sources should double by 2030 to limit the rise in global temperature.Published this Tuesday by the Madrid Meteorological Organization (WMO), investments in renewable energy must triple between now and then to reach the net-zero emissions target by 2050.
‘Report on state of climate services in 2022: energy’ warns Failure to achieve this goal risks climate change, extreme weather events and water stress, undermining energy security and even jeopardizing renewable supply.
The interagency study, based on contributions from 26 organisations, covers several practical cases and highlights the “extraordinary” opportunities that green energy networks offer to combat climate change, improve air quality, protect water resources, protect the environment and create jobs.
Specifically, it calculates to meet the long-term global target of the Paris Agreement (limit global temperature rise to 1.5ºC). By 2030, 7.1 terawatts of clean energy capacity will need to be installed.
WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas announced at a press conference that the energy sector produces about three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“Increasing energy efficiency, along with the transition to clean forms of electricity generation such as solar, wind and hydropower, is crucial if we are to be successful in the 21st century. The goal is to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. However, the embargo , We will only reach this target if we double our low-emission electricity supply in the next eight years.”Taalas assured, demanding the necessary “complete” transformation of the world energy system.
The study predicts that by 2050, the world’s electricity needs will be met mainly by renewable energies, with solar power being the “biggest source of supply” among them.
The study highlights Africa’s “opportunity” to tap into “untapped” potential and become a “market player”. “60 percent of the world’s top solar sources are in Africa, but the installed photovoltaic capacity on this continent is only 1 worldwide.” states the job.
In this sense, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, calls for an “urgent” response to the growing impact of climate change on energy systems to ensure energy security while accelerating the transition to net zero emissions.
“Radical Actions” Required
Along the same lines, Francesco La Camera, managing director of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), believes “now is the time” to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy future. According to that, “Anything radical and non-urgent will eventually eliminate the possibility of staying on the 1.5ºC path”.
“It is a strategic option to advance the transition to renewable energy, bringing affordable energy, jobs, economic growth and a resilient environment for people and communities,” he thinks.
Along the same lines, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, ‘bold’ call for climate action It estimates that US$26 billion in economic benefits could be generated by 2030. “Still, investment in renewable energy is very low, especially in developing countries, and little attention is paid to the importance of climate services for energy to support both climate adaptation and decisions on how to reduce greenhouse gases,” he said.
Mikko Ollikainen, director of the Adaptation Fund, described the role of the energy sector in helping to reduce emissions that cause climate change as “important”. However, it has encouraged energy production to adapt to the already occurring and accelerating climatic effects.
Climate change threatens energy supply
The report, which will also be presented this Thursday at the World Energy Council in Scotland on 13 October, highlights how climate change is directly impacting fuel supply, power generation and the physical resilience of energy infrastructure, present and future. For example, it provides heat waves and droughts are already testing electricity generation.
The study cites major power outages caused by a historic heat wave in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in January 2022, or when freezing rain in Russia in November 2020 covered power lines in the Federation’s extreme east, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power. . for a few days.
On the other hand, the report warns that the availability of fresh water could put the electricity supply at risk, as 87 percent of the world’s electricity produced by thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric systems in 2020 is directly connected to water. “This also applies to 15 percent of existing nuclear power plants, this rate is expected to rise to 25 percent in the next 20 years,” the document states.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states: Nuclear power plants are not only dependent on water for cooling, but are often located in low-lying coastal areas and are therefore potentially vulnerable to sea level rise and flooding. regarding the weather. In this context, he gives the example of the Turkey Point nuclear power plant located at sea level in Florida (United States), which will be under threat in the coming decades.
poor plans
Despite all these risks, international organizations warn that according to the study, only 40 percent of climate action plans submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) prioritize adaptation in the energy sector and investment is “equivalently lower”. presented this Tuesday.
In fact, he insists, the supply of low-emission sources must double by 2030 for the world to reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. In this context, the transition to renewable energy will contribute to alleviating increased global water stress because the amount of water used to generate electricity with solar and wind power is “much less” than that used in more traditional power plantspowered by fossil fuels or nuclear energy.
In this context, the study sees clean technologies as “a new promise for the future of Africa”, which has barely received 2 percent of investments in clean energy worldwide over the past 20 years. But accessing modern energy for its entire population requires an annual investment of $25 billion, roughly 1 percent of the world’s annual energy investment.