The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a five point plan Wednesday that aims to boost investments in renewable energies. His message coincided perfectly with the Publication of the World Meteorological Organization’s Climate Report for 2021.
“We must end the fossil fuel pollution and accelerate renewable energy transition before incineration of our only home,” the UN chief declared in a pre-recorded message. “Time is running out.”
Wednesday’s report showed that Critical climate indicatorsAll of them broke records last yea, and the past seven years were the hottest ever recorded.
Guterres stated that today’s State of the Climate Report is a dismal litany of humanity’s failure to address climate disruption.
What is Guterres’ five point plan?
His plan emphasized the importance of increasing the adoption of renewable technologies as well as greater investments and ending subsidies for fossil-fuels.
He demanded that public and private investments in renewables be tripled to at minimum $4 trillion per year.
The plan would also require governments to lift intellectual property protections on renewable technologies to increase access to them, as well as to open up supply chains of materials necessary for such technology which are currently controlled by just a few key players.
Guterres also pleaded for governments to End subsidies for fossil-fuelsThey currently spend half a trillion dollars annually on renewable energy, and this amount is only half of what they are spending. He stated that fossil fuel companies were becoming richer while consumers were paying the price.
“High prices can be a problem for many people“The pump, the oil-and-gas industry is raking millions from a distorted marketplace,” he stated.
Trajectories that are not on target
Although renewable energy sources are expected to supply most of the rising electricity demand in the next years, the rate is still high. Fast enough, but not fast enoughTo keep global temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius rise over pre-industrial levels, as stipulated in the Paris Agreement.
Global electricity generation is currently only 30% renewables, while fossil fuel energies continue to dominate.
Guterres cited red tape as a major obstacle to the growth and development of renewable energies. He also referred to subsidies that promote fossil fuels.
He stated that in Europe, approval for a wind farm takes eight years. “I understand that it can take as long as a decade to get a wind project approved at the federal level in the United States. There are 28 federal agencies involved.”
“Every minute of every single day, coal and oil receive approximately $11,000,000 in subsidies,” he said.
ab/kb (AFP, AP)
