The world’s supply of clean energy must double in the next eight years before climate change starts to jeopardise our energy supplies, a new report has warned.
Scientists at the World Meteorological Association (WMO) say solar, wind, hydropower and energy efficiency are the key to a cleaner energy future.
However, the impact climate change is already set to have on weather means early warning systems are required to prevent severe weather events from impacting energy supplies, including from renewable energy sources.
The report focuses on how we can develop clean energy to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
It states that energy adaptation must be a top priority for tackling climate change and countries need to invest more in the sector.
Power: The world’s supply of clean energy must double in the next eight years before climate impacts begin to jeopardise our energy supplies, a new report has warned (stock image)
African countries have an opportunity to seize untapped potential and be major players in the market, the WMO says, with the continent home to 60 per cent of the best solar resources globally. Yet Africa only has 1 per cent of installed photovoltaic capacity (pictured)
‘The energy sector is the source of around three-quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions,’ said WMO Secretary-General Professor Petteri Taalas.
‘Switching to clean forms of energy generation, such as solar, wind and hydropower – and improving energy efficiency – is vital if we are to thrive in the twenty-first century. Net zero by 2050 is the aim.
‘But we will only get there if we double the supply of low-emissions electricity within the next eight years.’
He added: ‘Time is not on our side, and our climate is changing before our eyes. We need a complete transformation of the global energy system.’
The WMO’s State of Climate Services annual report, which includes inputs from 26 different organisations, focuses on energy this year.
Experts said the reason for this was because energy holds the key to international agreements on sustainable development and climate change and, indeed, to the planet’s health.
Access to reliable weather, water and climate information and services will be increasingly important to strengthen the resilience of energy infrastructure and meet rising demand (an increase of 30 per cent in the past ten years), they added.
Despite issuing warnings, the report also highlights the opportunities for green-powered grids to help tackle climate change, improve air quality, conserve water resources, protect the environment and create jobs.
It states that by 2050, global electricity needs will mainly need to be met through renewable energy, with solar the single largest supply source.
African countries have an opportunity to seize untapped potential and be major players in the market, the WMO says, with the continent home to 60 per cent of the best solar resources globally.
‘We urgently need to respond to the growing impact of climate change on energy systems if we are to maintain energy security while accelerating the transition to net-zero,’ said Dr Fatih Birol, from the International Energy Agency.
‘This requires long-term planning and bold policy action to spur investment, which in turn needs to be underpinned by comprehensive and reliable weather and climate data.’
Francesco La Camera, from the International Renewable Energy Agency, added: ‘Now is the time to accelerate the transition to a renewable energy future. Anything short of radical and immediate action will ultimately eliminate the chance of staying on the 1.5°C (2.7°F) path.
‘The intertwined energy and climate crises have dramatically exposed the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of an economic system heavily reliant on fossil fuels.
‘Advancing the transition to renewables is a strategic choice to bring affordable energy, jobs, economic growth and a resilient environment to the people and communities on the ground.’
Climate change directly affects fuel supply and energy production, expert say, as well as the physical resilience of current and future energy infrastructure.
Heatwaves and droughts are already putting existing energy generation under stress, making it even more important to reduce fossil fuel emissions.
Scientists say the impact of more frequent and intense extreme weather, water and climate events is already clear.
For example, in January 2022, massive power outages caused by a historic heatwave in Buenos Aires, Argentina affected around 700 000 people.
A transition to renewable energy will help alleviate growing global water stresses because the amount of water used to generate electricity by solar and wind is much lower than for more traditional power plants, either fossil-fuel- or nuclear-based
In November 2020, freezing rain coated power lines in the Far East of the Russian Federation, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without electricity for several days.
Concerns about the impact of global temperature increases on energy security are therefore paramount in the race to net zero emissions (NZE).
Supply from low-emissions sources needs to double by 2030 if the world is to reach net zero by 2050, according to the report.
A transition to renewable energy will help alleviate growing global water stresses because the amount of water used to generate electricity by solar and wind is much lower than for more traditional power plants, either fossil-fuel- or nuclear-based.
But current pledges by countries fall well short of what is needed to meet the objectives set by the Paris Agreement, leaving a 70 per cent gap in the amount of emissions reductions needed by 2030.
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