The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) on Tuesday called for a Global Renewable Energy Standard (G-RES) of 25% by the year 2025.
With UN climate talks progressing slowly–if at all–such an agreement seems unlikely.
But ACORE president Michael Eckhart, said he believes the proposal is plausible. “The world seeks leadership and guidance on the best path to a cleaner, safer environment and stable atmospheric ecosystem. But it is clear to most of us that there is no single path–that this is a matter of many paths that together get the world to where it needs to be,” Eckhart said.
“We know today that three of the cornerstone paths to climate protection are the adoption of renewable energy, investment in greater energy efficiency, and protection of the rainforests as the Earth’s lungs. It is time to have concerted action on each of those three paths, getting started on what we know will work. I believe we can agree on the adoption of renewable energy here this week at COP-16, and we hereby call on the conference to introduce the measure and test it with a vote,” Eckhart added.
ACORE put forward a draft resolution that also calls for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to be designated the lead agency to support implementation of the agreement.
The draft calls for each signatoree nation to agree to a goal of supplying "not less than 25% of its national energy supply from renewable energy sources, herein defined as wind, solar, hydro, ocean, geothermal and biomass sources of electricity, fuels, heat and other end-use forms of energy."
The G-RES proposal provides for two implementing mechanisms: direct installation of renewable energy systems sufficient to meet the goal, and the sale/purchase of Global Renewable Energy Certificates (G-RECs) between nations.
Previously, worldwide renewable energy groups signed a memorandum of understanding on the 25% by 2025 goal, including ACORE and the Chinese Renewable Energy Society (CRES) chaired by Shi Dinghuan, the Chinese Renewable Energy Industries Association (CREIA) headed by Li Junfeng, the European Renewable Energy Council (EREC) chaired by Arthorous Zervos, and the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) chaired by Wolfgang Palz. Other groups around the world have promoted a “25×2025” goal including the Energy Future Coalition in the U.S.
“Agreeing on a global renewable energy target would be a positive signal for the world that countries are really serious and take concrete action against climate change. Renewable energy technologies together with energy efficiency are the key solution to abating climate change and at the same time promoting these creates millions of sustainable jobs and economic welfare. It is high-time to deliver a concrete outcome of the UN climate talks, the agreement on a global renewable energy target would send a signal of hope to the world”, said Zervos.
Meanwhile in Cancun…
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that climate talks are moving too slow. Read Associated Press coverage at the link below.
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