Opinions and Interviews
It's time to turn the page on the age of oil (Italian)
"We publish an important analysis by Achim Steiner, administrator of the UN Development Program, and by Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)."
18 May 2020 | Opinions | La Stampa
Turning the page on the age of oil
Governments have a choice: stimulate fossil fuel industries or invest in a more resilient recovery, powered by renewable energy. This is a once in a generation chance, write Achim Steiner and Francesco La Camera.
14 May 2020 | Opinions | EURACTIV
Now's the time to build a 21st century energy system
Clean and resilient energy provides a safe and strategic investment choice as $8 trillion is spent on virus stimulus packages. COVID-19 is a global health crisis unlike any in recent history, one that is spreading human suffering, destabilizing the global economy and upending the lives of billions of people around the globe.
13 May 2020 | Opinions | Thomson Reuters Foundation News
How Renewable Energy Could Emerge on Top After the Pandemic
The short-term prospects for wind and solar power look rocky amid the economic upheaval of the coronavirus. Leaders must seize the opportunity to design economic recovery packages so they accelerate a shift toward wind and solar power, rather than propping up the fossil fuel economy, said Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, an intergovernmental body.
12 May 2020 | Interview | Yale Environment 360
Green Energy Won’t Slip on Cheap Oil (Subscription)
As oil prices spiked in the late 1970s, then U.S. President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House. Historically, expensive crude spurred experiments to develop alternative energy sources and falling prices reversed the trend. But times have changed and today's ultralow oil prices are not likely to slow the roll out of renewables. Global installed energy-generating capacity (Source: IRENA).
27 April 2020 | Interview | The Wall Street Journal
Earth Day: Reinvestment In Renewables Could Help Beat Recession And Save Lives
On Earth Day 2020, communities and businesses alike are grounded - hunkered down until the "curve flattens" and the threats posed by COVID-19 pass. "The crisis has exposed deeply embedded vulnerabilities of the current system," says IRENA's Director-General Francesco La Camera. "By accelerating renewables and making the energy transition an integral part of the wider recovery, governments can achieve multiple economic and social objectives in the pursuit of a resilient future that leaves nobody behind."
22 April 2020 | Interview | Forbes
How A $110 Trillion Green Recovery Can Save The World: New Report
The coronavirus pandemic has devastated lives and economies around the world, but directing stimulus funds towards green infrastructure will enable nations to supercharge their recovery, become more resilient to crises and save trillions of dollars. Those are just a few of the conclusions reached by Global Renewables Outlook: Energy transformation 2050, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
20 April 2020 | Interview | Forbes
Renewables agency charts path to zero-carbon energy system by 2050
Governments could chart a path to a fully decarbonised energy system by the middle of the century and revive economies hit by the coronavirus if they tailor stimulus packages to boost clean energy technologies, according to a report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
20 April 2020 | Interview | Reuters
Coronavirus Seen Slowing, Not Stopping, Green-Energy Jobs Boom
The renewable-energy industry could create more than a million jobs a year if countries invest enough to meet their target for cutting global carbon emissions, according to an advocacy organization. Solar, wind and other forms of green energy could add 42 million jobs by 2050 if nations spend more aggressively to limit the increase in average global temperatures, the International Renewable Energy Agency said.
20 April 2020 | Interview | Bloomberg
Green energy could drive Covid-19 recovery with $100tn boost
Renewable energy could power an economic recovery from Covid-19 by spurring global GDP gains of almost $100tn (£80tn) between now and 2050, according to a report. The International Renewable Energy Agency found that accelerating investment in renewable energy could generate huge economic benefits while helping to tackle the global climate emergency.
20 April 2020 | Interview | The Guardian