High-level international energy and climate leaders from more than 40 countries rally their support to put global emissions on track towards net zero.
Discussions centered on the critical need for international collaboration and policy implementation. Purposely to accelerate clean energy transitions ahead of COP26 in November 2021. Additionally, participants discussed ways to work together to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit was convened virtually. It brought together high-ranking representatives of climate and energy ministries from countries; Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, the European Union, France, and South Africa among others.
Furthermore, the Summit marks a critical milestone on the road to COP26 in Glasgow in November. Key participants in attendance included Zhang Jianhua, China’s Minister of Energy; Frans Timmermans, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission; Raj Kumar Singh, India’s Minister of Power, New and Renewable Energy; John Kerry, US Presidential Special Envoy for Climate; Amani Abou-Zeid, African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy; and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.
The Summits Seven Principles
The IEA ‘Seven Key Principles’ presented at the Summit aims at guiding the implementation of net zero commitments.
Consequently, the areas covered by the principles include sustainable recoveries from the COVID-19 crisis; the critical importance of implementable emissions reductions roadmaps for the new decade; the development of stronger mechanisms for international coordination to accelerate innovation in emitting sectors of the global economy.
Moreover, the principle also addresses issues such as technology collaboration, best-practice sharing, investment tracking, ensuring people-centered transitions. Also, fusing energy security and affordability into net zero plans.
Furthermore, the roadmap revealed at the summit, through the presentation of the Seven Key Principles will help global leaders prioritize urgent action as the COP26 in Glasgow approaches.
Key messages from the Summit
Co-host of the Summit, Alok Sharma, President of COP26 declared forcefully, the urgency behind moving the world away from “a decade of climate change deliberation to a decade of delivery.”
Also, he noted that: “The UK strongly encourages countries to endorse the IEA’s seven principles for achieving net zero. Today’s Summit clearly showed willingness from governments, civil society and businesses to work together in each emitting sector to make this happen and keep the 1.5 degree target within reach.
“This should not be viewed as a shouldering of a burden, but more a sharing of an opportunity. By working together, we can accelerate progress, create jobs and prosperity, and protect our planet for future generations.”
In addition, Dr. Faith Birol, IEA’s Executive Director underscored the awareness created through the Net Zero Summit; on the gravity of the climate crisis and the urgency for swift actions towards clean energy.
“Our Net Zero Summit made clear that the vast majority of the world agrees on the gravity of the climate crisis and the urgency of immediate actions to put global emissions on track towards net zero.
“But it also underscored the need for greater international collaboration to drive the rapid global deployment of clean technologies across all the key sectors of the economy.
“No country can do this alone. If we want the transition to clean energy to happen quickly, the world’s major economies have to work much more effectively and closely together.
“The Summit’s Key Principles show what needs to happen, and I offer the IEA’s full support for the UK COP26 Presidency’s efforts to strengthen the international cooperation mechanisms that will accelerate our transition to net zero.”
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