IMAGE/UN.
By PATRICK MAYOYO
newshub@eyewitness.africa
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), in collaboration with the Brazilian Presidency of COP30 and the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA), has released a stark new report warning that global progress on renewable energy expansion is insufficient to meet 2030 targets set under the UAE Consensus.
The report Delivering on the UAE Consensus: Tracking progress toward tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030 was unveiled during a pre-COP30 high-level event in Brasília, ahead of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference currently underway in Belém, Brazil.
The second edition of Delivering on the UAE Consensus: Tracking progress toward tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030 reveals that while global renewable energy capacity surged by a record 582 GW in 2024; the highest annual increase to date – this progress still falls short of the pace needed to meet the UAE Consensus target of tripling renewable capacity to 11.2 TW by 2030.
To achieve this ambitious goal, renewable capacity must increase by 16.6% annually from 2025 onwards, requiring an average of 1,122 GW to be added each year through the end of the decade. This marks a significant acceleration in growth, highlighting the urgency of expanding renewable energy infrastructure to stay on track with global climate objectives.
“While the renewable energy sector has made great strides, we are still not on course to meet the UAE Consensus goal,” said Francesco La Camera, IRENA’s Director-General, in his keynote address at COP30. “To reach our targets and limit global warming to 1.5°C, we need urgent action to overcome structural barriers in infrastructure, policy, financing, and international cooperation.”
Another IRENA report was released at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. The Regional Energy Transition Outlook South America shows that by accelerating the energy transition, the region could increase its GDP growth by an additional 1.1% per year over the period 2023 to 2050 compared to current plans, while creating more than 12 million jobs in the energy sector.
At COP30, which has brought together more than 200 countries, businesses, civil society, and other key stakeholders, IRENA continues to provide crucial support for nations’ energy transition efforts.
In addition to discussions on capacity building and policy frameworks, IRENA’s events at the Global Renewables Hub in the Blue Zone will focus on issues such as energy finance, industry transformations, and youth engagement.
With COP30 prioritising key issues like climate finance, emission reduction targets, and the socio-economic impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations, the path to achieving global climate goals remains a shared responsibility across all sectors of society.
As the conference progresses, the need for coordinated action and strong commitments has never been clearer. The focus now shifts to how nations can ramp up their renewable energy efforts and bridge the gap to the critical 2030 targets.
