The latest surge took place on Friday Remarks at the Energy Transition Roundtable in Belém, Brazil, held just days before the official opening of the COP30 conference on climate change.
“The era of fossil fuels is coming to an end. Clean energy is on the rise. Let’s make the transition fair, rapid and definitive“, he said.
The “renewable energy revolution” is underway
The UN chief told world leaders that “the global energy landscape is evolving at lightning speed.”
Green energy sources accounted for 90 percent of new electricity capacity last year, while investments in these sources reached $2 trillion, $800 billion more than fossil fuels.
“The renewable energy revolution is here,” he said. “But we must move much faster – and ensure that all nations share in the benefits. »
The international community must ensure a “just, orderly and equitable” transition from fossil fuels, triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by the end of the decade.
Controlling global warming
However, some countries are not up to the task. Even if new national climate action plans are implemented, global temperature rise is still expected to exceed 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial times.
“That means more flooding, more heat, more suffering – everywhere,” he warned.
“To return below 1.5 degrees by the end of the century, global emissions must decline by almost half by 2030, reach net zero emissions by 2050 and then turn negative..”
Focus on policies and people
The Secretary-General stressed five areas of actionfirst calling on countries to “align their laws, policies and incentives with a just energy transition; and eliminate fossil fuel subsidies that distort markets and lock us in the past.”
Governments must “put people and equity at the center of the transition” and support workers and communities who rely on oil, coal and gas for their livelihoods, including through training and new opportunities.
This is particularly true for young people and women.
Support developing countries
“Invest in grids, storage and efficiency. Renewable energy is booming, infrastructure needs to catch up – fast,” he continued.
Since “technology must be part of the solution, not a new source of tension,” clean energy must power any new electricity demand “including that of the data centers that are driving the AI revolution.”
His final point highlighted the need to “unlock finance at scale for developing countries,” noting that Africa receives only 2% of global investment in clean energy.
“We must help developing countries implement their commitment to move away from fossil fuels: through stronger cooperation, investment and technology transfer – and tailored to different capacities and dependencies,” he said.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
