Leaders call for prompt actions for energy transition
International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol speaks during a session on energy during the P4G Seoul Summit, which was streamed online, Monday. Captured from P4G Seoul Summit live streaming
By Nam Hyun-woo
International organization and corporate leaders called for prompt action toward an energy transition Monday, saying that setting long-term climate goals and making immediate climate responses should be pursued at the same time.
They urged this during a session of the P4G Seoul Summit, which had its second day of events and discussions following its opening Sunday. P4G stands for Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030, and its members are pursuing international cooperation for stronger environmental action.
Along with the leaders of the 12 P4G member countries, representatives from more than 40 other nations and international organizations participated in the summit. The 12 nations are Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, Vietnam and Korea.
During the session titled “A Greener Planet with Innovative Energy Solutions,” International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol said the world is seeing “a proliferation of net zero pledges from countries and companies” but there was “a huge gap between rhetoric and reality.”
“This year, instead of a sustainable recovery, we are heading for the second-largest increase in global emissions in history according to our numbers,” Birol said during a speech streamed online. “To get to net zero emissions we will require nothing short of a total transformation of our energy systems.”
Birol compared global efforts to tackle climate changes to “a race to net zero,” with countries starting in different places. He added that advanced economies needed to finish this race well before the others; however, he stressed it was a race against time, not against each other.
“The first priority is to make the 2020s a decade of massive clean energy expansion, focusing on technologies like solar, wind, and electric cars, which are ready for the big time,” he said. “But we also need to see a huge increase in innovation in order to have clean energy technologies. … So we have twin challenges, make the most out of existing technologies, and push the button of innovation in order to make them part of our global energy system.”
Bloomberg L.P. CEO Michael Bloomberg stressed the importance of prompt action on climate change and cooperation between businesses, countries and societies.
“No single business, city or nation can take on climate change alone, and we have to work together to build effective partnerships and raise our ambitions,” Bloomberg said. “While it's critical to set goals for 2030, we also need to make progress now.”
Bloomberg mentioned Korea's recent decision to end overseas financing for coal-fired power plant projects as an example of prompt action. During last month's Leaders Summit on Climate, hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden, Korean President Moon Jae-in pledged that his government would end all public financing for overseas coal-fired power plants, as part of the country's commitment to global efforts to tackle climate change.
Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Moon Sung-wook said that “efforts of individual businesses or countries alone will never be enough to get there,” and thus “advanced and developing economies must work closely together to find creative and innovative solutions for carbon neutrality.”
Including one on energy, the P4G Seoul Summit held five thematic sessions on water, food, green cities and the circular economy.
Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag speaks during the Water Session of the P4G Seoul Summit, which was streamed online, Monday. Captured from P4G Seoul Summit live streaming
During the session on water, participants shared ideas on strengthening partnerships for clean water supplies as well as exploring ways to capitalize on good governance. In a keynote speech, Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sigrid Kaag presented carbon neutral water management technologies in the hydrologic cycle.
In the session on agriculture and food, participants discussed cooperation in resilient and sustainable agriculture and food systems, and echoed their views that strengthening international cooperation models based on public-private partnerships was critical to enable a stable food supply and nutrition, as well as improved productivity in the agricultural sector. Qu Dongyu, director-general of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, also delivered a keynote speech.
In the Green City Session, Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Flemming Moller Mortensen spoke on the importance of P4G members' partnerships for cities' resilience to disasters, while the Circular Economy Session shared ideas on international cooperation to achieve a circular economy.