The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) whereby the two parties agreed to exchange knowledge and collaborate on initiatives to accelerate widespread renewable energy adoption to mitigate climate change.
According to IRENA’s World Energy Transitions Outlook, avoiding the catastrophic consequences of 1.5°C global warming requires a fundamental change in how energy is generated and consumed.
Renewables are the most readily-available and cost-effective way to provide 90 percent of all decarbonization by 2050, but this requires tripling of currently installed renewable power capacity by 2030.
Progress will depend on political will, well-targeted investments, and a mix of technologies, accompanied by policy packages to put them in place and optimize their economic and social impact.
We have all the tools we need to address the growing climate challenge. The reliability and resilience of renewables in the face of mounting global crises should serve as clear motivating factors for governments to double down on the energy transition and accelerate renewable energy deployment. Clean energy is abundant, but time is not. IRENA’s knowledge strongly builds on the valuable scientific work of the IPCC. I look forward to our continued close cooperation, said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera.
The signed MoU provides a framework for IRENA and IPCC to enhance understanding of the scientific basis of the risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts, and options for adaptation and mitigation.
The two organizations will also work together to promote the widespread and increased adoption and sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy through dialogues, expert meetings, and workshops in coordination with the relevant IPCC Working Groups/Task Force Bureau.
With current commitments, we are not on track to limit warming to 1.5°C. But, with rapid and deeper emissions cuts through 2030, we can keep this goal within reach. Costs for some forms of renewable energy have fallen, the use of renewables continues to rise and, in some countries and regions, electricity systems are already predominantly powered by renewables. We’re confident this partnership will strategically contribute to the much-needed transformational change and to a faster and sweeping transition to renewables, said Abdalah Mokssit, the Secretary of IPCC.
