Irena calls for more investment

'It is our responsibility to deliver more and to deliver together, to explore energy in all its dimensions, for our people and our climate,' Mario Giro, the newly elected Irena president, said.

Despite its immense potential, renewable energy will only rise from 18 per cent to 21 per cent of the total global energy mix by 2030, if current plans are implemented without additional measures, according to the Rethinking Energy Report released today.

The newly elected Irena president, the Italian Mario Giro, called for a far more ambitious commitment from its 177 member countries, saying they should increase renewable energy's share to 36 per cent.

“It is our responsibility to deliver more and to deliver together, to explore energy in all its dimensions, for our people and our climate,” he said.

To fully meet the requirements set out at COP21 in Paris in 2015, where countries decided to reduce global warming to less than 2°C by 2050, Mr Giro said more ambitious pledges were necessary.

Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Energy and Climate Change, said: “To meet our goals, and all the work we have done, global collaboration is necessary.”

“We’re not stopping our work to push towards goals that aim to reduce climate change. We pushed our target from 24 per cent to 27 per cent renewable energy this year, and now we’ve pledged to have half our energy come from renewable sources in 2050.”

Abu Dhabi recently announced plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 70 per cent by 2050.

The report calls for an increase in renewable energy investment and implementation as it would save US$1.3 trillion by 2030, create millions of jobs and save millions of lives otherwise lost due to air pollution.

It noted that the opportunity to implement renewable energy plans should be the first choice for the almost one billion people who still lack access to electricity.

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