On Thursday 23 January in Davos, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, together with the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Fatih Birol, launched the Global Energy Transition Forum, bringing together Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Peru, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and other countries.
Companies and investors are also taking part in this new Global Forum, which aims to “maintain the momentum on the clean energy transition, delivering flagship projects, and unlocking more investment”.
In a speech, Mrs von der Leyen explained that the Forum was in line with the COP28 objectives of tripling renewable energies and doubling energy efficiency by 2030.
“It’s obvious: the transition to clean energy is under way and it’s here to stay”, she said.
The President also spoke about the ‘Scaling up Renewables in Africa’ campaign launched with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the G20 Summit in Rio last November (see EUROPE 13526/3), aimed at boosting renewable energy production in Africa. The continent currently receives less than 2% of global investment in clean energy, even though it “holds 60% of the world’s best solar resources”, she insisted. This issue was discussed at a dinner organised later that evening.
She also recognised the need to step up industrial production in favour of clean technologies, the modernisation of electricity grids and storage.
“No company, no country and no region can do it alone. We must work together and act now”, she said. (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)