Current actions on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Developing Countries could reduce emissions by 1.7 gigaton a year by 2020, a new study said.
The study named Narrowing the Emissions Gap: Contributions from renewable energy and energy efficiency activities, also said that Initial analysis of almost 6,000 projects targeting renewable energy and energy efficiency in developing countries could reduce CO2 emissions by about 1.7 gigatons a year by 2020.
The findings, released yesterday at COP21 in Paris carried out by the 1 Gigaton Coalition.
They show the potential for further emissions reductions depends on if programmes and initiatives are supported further to replicate successful projects more widely.
The report is based on the current level of activities in renewable energy and energy efficiency in the energy sector. The Gigaton Coalition has done the analysis based on projects implemented between 2005 and 2012.
The 1 Gigaton Coalition is a voluntary international framework that was initiated and is supported by the Kingdom of Norway, and is coordinated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
However, after the COP21 negotiations, the level of green energy financing is likely to increase, and the 1.7 gigaton figure would be expected to grow in the future.
This would assist in closing the emissions gap, which the UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2014 estimated at 8–10 Gt CO2 equivalent by 2020.
Borge Brende, Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, said: “The study shows governments and initiatives what could be achieved and encourages them to build on the momentum of the Paris COP to continue to increase their ambitions to promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.”
UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said: “The potential of increasing renewable energy and energy efficiency in developing countries to tackling climate change cannot be underestimated. But not only do these energy projects move us toward closing the emissions gap, they are also vital for many countries’ social and economic development.
