It’s time for all nations to pursue just and inclusive clean energy transitions

A new UN Climate Change report indicates that nations must urgently double down on their climate efforts to prevent global temperatures from increasing beyond the Paris Agreement’s goal of well below 2 degrees Celsius by the end of the century. This report comes just weeks after an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report found that climate change is widespread, rapid and intensifying, with some trends now irreversible. 

On Friday, amidst these dire warnings, the United Nations will host its first ministerial-level meeting on energy in 40 years. The UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy presents a historic opportunity to help drive transformational action on energy-related goals in the first years of the Sustainable Development Goal’s Decade of Action, the UN’s ambitious shared vision to end poverty, rescue the planet and build a more peaceful world by 2030. Concrete action is needed to achieve access to clean energy for the 760 million people who currently live without electricity and for the 2.6 billion people still relying on harmful fuels for cooking.

Today, there is widespread recognition that the adoption of clean energy solutions is an essential component of addressing the global climate crisis. Nearly every nation on Earth has endorsed the Paris Agreement, committing to substantially reduced global greenhouse gas emissions and support developing countries in building climate resilience. But recognition is only the first step, in order to create a sustainable future, we must take action immediately. This is why ministers are gathering in New York and countries, as well as companies, are committing to Energy Compacts, in which they set voluntary commitments to reach net-zero emissions faster.

Governments are increasing financial commitments to speed up energy transitions. In the United States, the bipartisan infrastructure bill recently passed by the Senate includes more than $150 billion to expand clean energy use and promote climate resilience.

A transition to green energy is an essential step in the battle against climate change that can also help to achieve numerous Sustainable Development Goals, including those surrounding gender equality, agriculture and food systems, as well as sustainable consumption. As a Global Champion for enabling SDGs through just and inclusive energy transitions at this week’s UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy, Iceland will encourage nations around the world to implement clean energy solutions that do not leave anyone behind. 

For example, as climate change threatens the security of the world’s food supply, we must make sustainable energy a critical component of food production. It is essential that we tap into sustainable energy such as geothermal energy, in the production, processing and value addition of food — be it fisheries, aquaculture or agriculture. In Iceland we have developed green energy solutions that support the development of sustainable food systems such as drying fish with direct use of geothermal sources; and production of food and feed ingredients in micro algae systems based on the cascading use of this renewable and sustainable energy. We have also supported the development of new energy solutions internationally for example for cooling apples in India using low-temperature geothermal energy, which is a technology that has great global potential.

Investment in sustainable energy infrastructure will be necessary to power the circular economy, which seeks to reduce waste by reusing resources. Indeed, to achieve the objectives of the circular economy and shift towards a green economy, our focus can not only be on innovation and design of products, processes and materials, but also on the sustainability and efficiency of the resources. 

Earlier this month, Climeworks opened Orca, the world’s largest plant to capture carbon dioxide from the air. It uses the Carbfix technology to combine the gas with basalt rock—reversing climate change. The Orca project is located next to the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant and is a part of an industrial ecosystem based on cascading energy use. The project showcases the combined effect of sustainable solutions where the economy and environment benefit.

Finally, the transition to sustainable energy presents an opportunity to advance gender equality. Gender transformative approaches are not only key for women´s empowerment, including through green job creation, but also critical to achieving sustainable energy for all.

This week’s High-Level Dialogue on Energy provides a forum for global leaders to come together and discuss sustainable clean energy solutions with the potential to make life better for everyone. Together, we can ensure that no one is left behind as we combat climate change and work toward a future that is both more sustainable and more inclusive.

Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson is Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs.  

Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir is Iceland’s Minister of Tourism, Industry and Innovation.