James Stock, who was part of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers in 2013–14, asserts that as green energy costs drop, we should shift the emphasis from economy-wide carbon pricing to sectoral policies. He dives into the (at least) three externalities that policies for the energy transition confront: the greenhouse gas externality; the innovation externality; and, in some cases, network (or chicken-and-egg) externalities.

Eight years ago when UNIDO-Egypt embarked on a mission to accelerate the uptake of industrial energy efficiency there were barely any local service providers, and even fewer local success stories. Fast forward to today and hundreds of Egyptian industrial organizations and technical consultants have been trained by UNIDO; new energy services companies have emerged; key government ministries have introduced policy incentives; 1,220 GWh of energy has been saved and millions of tons of CO2 emissions have been avoided.

IRENA and UNICEF Join Forces to Empower Youth for a Sustainable Future

IRENA Renewable Capacity Statistics 2021

Methane is the second most abundant human-caused greenhouse gas (GHG), and is 86 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over 20 years in the atmosphere (34 times more powerful over 100 years). Because it exists for a relatively short time in the atmosphere, cutting methane provides a quick benefit in terms of limiting near-term temperature rise. Studies estimate that ambitious actions to reduce methane can avoid 0.3 degrees C of warming by 2050.

Africa is endowed with significant oil resources. But oil is a large contributor to man-made climate change, along with other fossil fuels. To what extent do developing countries, including African economies, align their climate efforts to developed countries, considering that the latter achieved carbon-intensive growths and are major contributors to the climate problem? An interesting report that analyses the complex oil value chain to maximise its potential for African economies.

According to the Guardian, 90% of coal and 60% of oil and gas reserves should remain in the ground if there is to be “even a 50% chance of keeping global heating below 1.5C”, the stretch goal of the Paris Agreement.

A new research by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Climate Policy Initiative identifies which high-impact countries are receiving finance for coal fired power, the sources of this investment, its key drivers and the risks attached. The research also offers a series of recommendations to accelerate coal phase-out in favor of more cost-effective renewable energy solutions that support both increased energy access and the transition.

Join us for this webinar where SEforALL and CPI will present findings and recommendations from the Coal Power Finance in High-Impact Countries knowledge brief.

According to UNDP administrator, Achim Steiner, lower-income countries shouldn’t be penalized for seeking to develop gas power or restricted to renewable energy just because they are looking to boost their power generation, while even wealthier countries show little sign of doing the same. Is the world moving quickly enough towards a decarbonized energy structure?