Leading chief executives from companies in the global wind industry, have called on G20 members to show leadership in the climate crisis by raising national ambitions and laying out plans for increased wind energy production to replace fossil fuels.
The 23 CEOs, representing the Global Wind Energy Coalition for COP26, have sent an open letter to leaders of the G20 acknowledging that while some progress has been made in the energy transition, current net zero pledges still put the world on a 2.4C global warming pathway, well beyond what is needed to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
They state that wind energy and renewables installations are currently falling short of the trajectory needed to meet international climate goals, requiring urgent action to improve energy policies.
The letter calls for effective policy and regulatory frameworks for procurement and delivery of renewable energy, commitments to planification of clean energy infrastructure and for agreements to deliver effective and credible carbon pricing mechanisms.
They also called for the alignment of national and regional finance flows with benchmarks for a net 1.5°C-compliant pathway and the development of cohesive and inclusive policies which dedicate public resource to the shift to a net zero economy.
GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell said: “G20 member countries represent more than 80% of global energy-related carbon emissions – so the leaders of these countries hold the power and public duty to transform the world’s energy system.
“These countries need to get serious about renewables, and in particular wind energy as the clean energy solution with the most potential to help the world meet its Paris Agreement targets.”
The signatories also highlight that the recent roadmap from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that annual wind deployment must quadruple from 93GW in 2020 to 390GW in 2030 to meet a net zero by 2050 scenario.
If current growth rates for wind energy persist, the letter argues that global wind capacity will fall dramatically short of the volumes required for carbon neutrality by 2050, with installation shortfalls of as much as 57% by 2050.
