13/11/2021

Significant progress at COP26 - but there’s still a mountain to climb to keep 1.5 alive

13 November 2021 - RenewableUK press release


Commenting on the agreement reached at the end of COP26 in Glasgow, RenewableUK’s CEO Dan McGrail said:


“The extraordinary sense of energy and momentum around this conference has resulted in significant progress on global commitments to cut dangerous emissions and help developing countries to combat the worst effects of climate change. The agreement specifically calls for a rapid scaling up of clean power generation and, for the first time, it urges countries to act faster on phasing down coal and fossil fuel subsidies – commitments which were long overdue. The final wording on coal should have gone further to commit to phasing it out. Crucially, the agreement recognises the importance of supporting a just transition, which includes helping people working in oil and gas to fine new roles in renewables, as our industry is doing.


“It’s clear that we still have a mountain to climb to limit global warming to 1.5C. That’s why it’s so important for countries to revisit and strengthen their plans to reduce emissions at next year’s COP in Egypt instead of waiting until 2025. We also need to see clearer road maps from each country on how they plan to reach net zero with more ambitious targets for rolling out the clean technologies which will do the heavy lifting on decarbonisation.


“Accelerating the deployment of renewables worldwide right now and over the course of this decade is a tangible, practical and cost-effective step which nations can take to help to get us back on track towards that goal of keeping 1.5 alive. Over the last fortnight we’ve seen a massive appetite among countries where wind markets are emerging or in their infancy to ramp up their capacity. The private sector has a key role to play here, driving change by investing billions in renewables. As the UK is the global leader in offshore wind, we’re able to offer our expertise worldwide, especially on innovative technologies like floating wind and renewable hydrogen, which will generate vast amounts of clean power in the decades ahead”.   


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Notes


RenewableUK’s members are building our future energy system, powered by clean electricity. We bring them together to deliver that future faster; a future which is better for industry, billpayers, and the environment. We support over 400 member companies to ensure increasing amounts of renewable electricity are deployed across the UK and to access export markets all over the world. Our members are business leaders, technology innovators, and expert thinkers from right across industry. 


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