WEC expresses “concern” over climate talks

• 8 years ago (2015-10-29)
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The World Energy Council (WEC) is to write to all Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change expressing concern over the level of progress and ambition over the state of the climate talks.

During its Executive Assembly in Addis Ababa it said that key actions are required to enable the energy sector to deliver a sustainable energy system.

Christoph Frei, Secretary General of the WEC, said: “The energy leaders’ community is increasingly concerned about the slow progress and level of ambition in the negotiations ahead of the COP21 meeting in Paris. We want to affirm to the Parties that the energy sector across the world is ready to respond to a strong signal from Paris to accelerate the energy transition.”

The WEC is calling for “a clear carbon pricing scheme, in line with the global objectives that will allow all to make efficient economic decisions”.

The message urges determined pragmatism from all sides to deliver a global agreement that enables significant on-going action beyond dogmatism.

In an address to the World Energy Council’s annual meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, responded to the message, highlighting the leadership of the organisation in the run-up to Paris.

She said: “It is encouraging to see the messages from the World Energy Council to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris. These messages are a strong signal that the energy transformation that is by now inevitable, irreversible and irresistible, needs predictable policy to speed up and scale up.”

She added: “An energy transition is taking place in many countries, but in the boardrooms and in the energy ministries, leaders need the right framework to enable real world solutions that will unlock the finance and enable the technologies needed to be scaled.”

The World Energy Council’s message goes on to support the inclusion of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions track in the negotiations. However, it also highlights that 'translating the international objective to the national level for energy requires an Energy Trilemma approach, which balances the needs of energy security, environment and social agenda'.

The letter from the World Energy Council will be sent with the latest World Energy Trilemma Sustainability Index, which ranks 130 countries energy systems and provides pathways to sustainable energy policies.