Global energy, climate leaders pledge clean energy action at the IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit
Top international energy and climate leaders from more than 40 countries took part in the IEA-COP26 Net Zero Summit on Wednesday to focus on the need for international collaboration and policy implementation to accelerate clean energy transitions ahead of COP26 in November.
The Net Zero Summit, co-hosted by IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol and COP26 President Alok Sharma, brought together high-level representatives of energy and climate ministries from countries including Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia and many others.
According to the IEA press release, the Summit is a critical milestone on the road to COP26 in Glasgow in November. It brought together representatives of countries covering more than 80 per cent of global GDP, population and emissions.
“It is time for the world to move from a decade of climate change deliberation to a decade of delivery… Today’s Summit clearly showed willingness from governments, civil society and businesses to work together in each emitting sector to keep the 1.5 degree target within reach,” said Alok Sharma, the COP26 President.
Fatih Birol, the IEA Executive Director said that the Summit underscored the need for greater international collaboration to drive the rapid global deployment of clean technologies across all the key sectors of the economy and added that if we wanted the transition to clean energy to happen quickly, the world’s major economies need to work much more effectively and closely together.
The release added that many IEA member governments supported the Seven Key Principles presented by the IEA at the Summit to guide the implementation of net zero commitments.
