Ministers Adopt Clean Energy Commitments at San Francisco Gathering
Date：06-12-2016 Source：Bridges
Ministers from countries making up the bulk of global clean energy investment and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) signed off last week on a series of commitments aimed at scaling up the deployment of cleaner energy sources.
Dubbed the “Clean Energy Ministerial” (CEM), this year’s event, held from 1-2 June in San Francisco, California, also included private sector representatives along with officials from various non-governmental organisations and sub-national governments.
The ministerial gathering also comes just six months after the Paris climate accord was adopted at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCC) Twenty-first Conference of the Parties (COP21). (See BioRes, 13 December 2015)
The universal climate agreement reached in Paris was signed in New York earlier this year, with countries now working to advance their respective ratification efforts, along with ironing out details relating to its operationalisation. The deal will enter into effect 30 days after 55 parties representing 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions have approved it domestically. (See Bridges Weekly, 2 June 2016)
Hosted by US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, ministers in San Francisco stressed the value of building on the momentum generated from the achievements seen in Paris last December, while highlighting the importance of scaling up efforts in the area of clean energy technology to help with its implementation.
“As one of the first major gatherings of clean energy leaders since COP21, CEM7 is a key tool needed to implement the clean energy goals made in Paris,” said Moniz at the end of the gathering.
Other attendees last week included ministers from the EU, Canada, China, India, Japan, Mexico, and Norway. Together the group adopted a series of decisions, such as agreeing to establish an international secretariat to support their ongoing efforts in this field, and kicking off “CEM 2.0” to connect political engagement at the ministers’ level with related initiatives and policy campaigns.
Additional steps agreed included launching campaigns in climate-smart cooling technologies; helping more facilities achieve certification to the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) 50001 standard on energy management; supporting businesses who procure their energy from renewable sources; and giving additional support to agencies helping countries put their nationally-determined contributions (NDCs) to the Paris accord into action.
China will host next year’s Clean Energy Ministerial, while the EU has confirmed that it will coordinate with one of its 28 member states for hosting the 2018 gathering.
The latest CEM meeting came amid warnings from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that only one sector of the 19 it monitors is currently “on track” to meet its energy scenario that would lead to a 50 percent chance of limiting global average temperatures below a two degrees Celsius rise from pre-industrial levels.
Recent calls have also been made for traditional energy companies to internalise the implications of the Paris deal, which will involve a significant shift away from fossil fuels that currently make up about 80 percent of the world’s energy mix, and account for two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions.
Mission Innovation
The San Francisco gathering also saw the first ministerial-level meeting of “Mission Innovation,” an initiative launched in late November during the Paris climate talks.
The objective of Mission Innovation is to bring together actors from countries with an interest in scaling up the development and deployment of clean energy.
In San Francisco, ministers released plans outlining how their domestic governments would work to double their financial support for clean energy research and development over the next five years as pledged in Paris, along with reviewing shared information on their national needs in this area and options for future cooperation.
These efforts, they say, would eventually lead to a combined US$30 billion dedicated to research and development in this field, which they argue could lower costs for projects as wide-ranging as electric car batteries and land-based wind power.
Various other procedural decisions were reached to guide Mission Innovation’s work going forward, such as agreeing upon a mission statement and setting up a steering committee.
The European Union became the initiative’s 21st member last week, joining Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The initiative is complemented by a “Breakthrough Energy Coalition” currently composed of 28 major investors from 10 countries that have committed to invest patient capital in early-stage technology development coming out of Mission Innovation countries.
Canada, Mexico, US review energy cooperation
Along the sidelines of the two high-level meets, energy ministers from the US, Canada, and Mexico alsoexamined their efforts to date in boosting their cooperation on climate change and sustainable energy issues.
The three North American nations made headlines earlier in the year when they announced plans to boost collaboration in these areas, which fuelled speculation that a joint energy strategy might not be far behind. (See Bridges Weekly, 18 February 2016)
After their discussions, ministers said they had taken steps to determine shared priorities in these areas, launching a joint study aimed at better understanding the integration of renewables into their respective energy grids, and pledging resources to help companies meet the ISO 50001 energy management standard.
Leaders from the three countries will meet later this month in the Canadian city of Ottawa, with climate and energy slated to be on their agenda.
Tubiana, El Haite release climate action “roadmap”
In related climate news, two top officials from France and Morocco who together serve as UN “climate champions” unveiled on Monday their “roadmap for global climate action,” with a report on its progress due in time for COP22 in Marrakesh this November.
Released by Hakima El Haite, the Moroccan Delegate Minister to the Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, and French climate ambassador Laurence Tubiana, the roadmap outlines their tasks going forward in helping maintain and develop links between the UN climate talks and various voluntary initiatives underway.
The roadmap commits the two officials to helping link the UN process with actors outside that system, along with reviewing the implementation of climate initiatives and supporting new ones focused on adaptation, among other steps.
“We believe that more can be done, in particular, to actively include in this process more representatives from national and local governments, businesses, and civil society from developing countries,” they said in the roadmap.
Notably, Tubiana and El Haite will be launching a “new voluntary initiative on low-emission development strategies for all interested Parties and non-Party stakeholders,” explaining that the strategy would involve developing plans for cutting emissions through 2050 – a longer-term focus than what many countries have taken to date.
“We strongly believe that going through the process of developing a mid-century strategy will help countries, cities, regions, businesses, investors, and all actors to understand what it takes to achieve the long-term goals in the Paris Agreement while implementing the Sustainable Development Goals,” they said.
The Paris Agreement itself also invites parties to communicate by 2020 strategies for mid-century, long-term low greenhouse gas emissions development.
The champions’ five-page document additionally includes steps relating to transparency and credibility, along with helping improve the coordination between high-level gatherings and technical expert meetings.
ICTSD reporting; “UN asks governments for 2050 plans to phase out coal, oil and gas,” CLIMATE HOME, 6 June 2016; “Fossil fuel groups warned not to ignore Paris accord,” FINANCIAL TIMES, 6 June 2016.
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