IRENA at Climate Summit 2014

On September 23, leaders from around the world will gather at the United Nations Headquarters in New York for Climate Summit 2014. The summit will bring together heads of state, CEOs and leaders from international organizations and civil society to catalyse ambitious action to address climate change. IRENA is supporting the Climate Summit by presenting two initiatives and hosting a high-level policy dialogue.

Africa Clean Energy Corridor

IRENA’s Africa Clean Energy Corridor initiative, endorsed by Ministers from countries of the Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) and the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) at the fourth IRENA Assembly in January 2014, promotes renewable power to support Africa’s economic growth. The initiative calls for accelerated deployment and cross-border trade of renewable power in a continuous network from Egypt to South Africa.

Four-fifths of all electricity in Eastern and Southern Africa today is generated from carbon-bearing fossil fuels such as natural gas, oil or coal, and regional demand for electricity is expected to at least double in the next quarter century. However, half of all electricity in Eastern and Southern Africa could come from clean, indigenous, cost-effective renewables by 2030, allowing for a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

Low-carbon economic development powered by renewable energy can help meet the challenge of climate change while improving the livelihoods and economic well-being of millions of people. Regional cooperation can enable the uptake of renewable power projects throughout the EAPP and SAPP countries, sustainably transforming the regional energy mix.

At the Climate Summit, heads of state, partner organizations and leaders from the private sector will each lend their support to the next phase of the Africa Clean Energy Corridor process.

SIDS Lighthouse initiative

Disconnected from mainland electricity grids, islands are especially vulnerable to price fluctuations for imported fossil fuels. But small island developing states (SIDS) can overcome such challenges, as well as play their part in the global effort to mitigate climate change, through rapid renewable energy development.

IRENA will launch its SIDS Lighthouse Initiative at the Climate Summit in New York on 23 September 2014.Through partnerships and focused cooperation, the Lighthouse Initiative aims to mobilize funding and political will to advance renewable energy deployment in island settings around the world.

By speeding the uptake of renewable energy on islands around the world, the Lighthouse Initiative will enable SIDS to lead by example on climate change. Maximising the use of indigenous, clean and plentiful renewable energy requires a structured, holistic approach to ensure long-term sustainability. Tthe SIDS Lighthouse process will also capture invaluable lessons for the rest of the world.

Policy Dialogue: “REthinking Energy: The Quest for Climate Change Solutions”

IRENA is organizing a high-level policy dialogue in conjunction with Climate Summit 2014 at the UN Headquarters in New York on September 23.

An alignment of economic forces, global population growth, the threat of climate change and rapid technological advances has set in motion a transformation of the global energy system. These converging forces are not only increasing global energy demand, they are fundamentally transforming it. A new system based on renewables is increasingly seen as a viable to solution to meet these changing dynamics, enhance energy access and security, create jobs and safeguard health and the environment.

Already, the dynamics of the power system, including the traditional roles of consumers and producers, are changing so fast that policymakers are having difficulty keeping up. Yet the pace of renewable energy deployment needs to be accelerated further.

IRENA’s policy dialogue will explore the trends that have driven the change, how technologies continue evolving, who is financing the transformation and the wider benefits it will bring. The session will also examine what an energy system powered by renewables might look like, and how policy makers can best prepare for what is coming.

The discussion will cover the broad themes of IRENA’s flagship publication, REthinking Energy, engaging leaders from the public and private sector in a dialogue about the transformation of global energy system and how this relates to climate change mitigation.