Jonas Gahr Støre addresses Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet
Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
Jonas Gahr Støre (Labor Party) is the Prime Minister of Norway.
MARIT FOSSE
Geneva
During the United Nations General Assembly, heads of states are coming from their respective countries to meet their colleagues, and to present their concerns about world affairs. Ukraine and climate change are two topics that you find in most of the speeches.
On Sept. 21, the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) convened the inaugural meeting of its newly formed Global Leadership Council during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City.
Co-chaired by Jonas Gahr Støre, prime minister of Norway, and Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, this diverse and growing coalition of global leaders was created to tackle the most challenging barriers to just energy transitions worldwide and keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Prime Minister Støre in his inaugural speech declared: “Global crises are slowing progress towards universal energy access and clean energy transitions. As we head towards COP27, the world is a very different place than one year ago. The war in Ukraine, global energy shortages, and record temperatures, have aggravated the situation. This is the defining challenge of our times. It is more important than ever that we drive up the pace of change and commit to greater collaboration so we can achieve the change people so desperately need.”
While developing countries are currently responsible for only 25% of global CO2 emissions, their share of global emissions could grow to 75% by 2050, according to analysis published by the Alliance. These countries currently receive only a fraction of clean energy financing, despite representing nearly half of the world’s population. The meeting provided a critical and impartial platform to start advancing solutions, including driving down the cost of clean energy technologies, delivering locally owned Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JET-Ps), and building carbon credits for coal decommissioning.
Dr. Shah stated: “The mission—and the opportunity—of the Global Energy Alliance is to scale innovative green technologies to restart the progress lost to Covid-19 and stop the rapid march of climate change. The Global Leadership Council has the knowledge and the networks to overcome the most challenging barriers to unlocking opportunity with energy transitions and keeping global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.”
Over the next year, the Global Leadership Council will expand and help accelerate GEAPP’s clean energy solutions across its country programs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. With support from founding philanthropic partners, Bezos Earth Fund, IKEA Foundation, and The Rockefeller Foundation, along with 11 multilateral and development finance institutions, local energy and technology providers, and governments, GEAPP will work to operationalize the Global Leadership Council’s recommendations.
