Nero was famously accused of playing while Rome burned. Today, some leaders are worse off. They add fuel to the fire. Literally. As the fallout from Russia's invasion of Ukraine ripples around the world, some countries' response to the growing energy crisis has been to double down on fossil fuels—pouring billions of dollars more into the coal, oil, and gas that are fueling our deepening climate crisis. .
Meanwhile, all climate indicators continue to break records, predicting a future of raging storms, floods, droughts, wildfires and unbearable temperatures across vast areas of the planet. Our world is facing climate chaos. New infrastructure funding for fossil fuel exploration and production is deceptive. Fossil fuels are not the answer and never will be. We can see the damage we are doing to the planet and our societies. It's in the news every day and no one is immune.
Fossil fuels are the cause of the climate crisis. Renewable energy is the answer – to limit climate disruption and increase energy security. If we had invested earlier and massively in renewable energy, we would not have found ourselves once again at the mercy of unstable fossil fuel markets. Renewables are the peace plan of the 21st century. But the battle for a quick and fair energy transition is not fought on a level playing field. Investors still support fossil fuels and governments still hand out billions in coal, oil and gas subsidies – roughly $11 million every minute.
There is a word that favors short-term relief over long-term prosperity. Dependence. We are still dependent on fossil fuels. For the health of our society and the planet, we must stop. Now. The only real path to energy security, stable electricity prices, prosperity and a livable planet is to move away from polluting fossil fuels and accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
To this end, I have called on G20 governments to dismantle coal-fired infrastructure with a complete phase-out by 2030 for OECD countries and by 2040 for all others. I called on financial entities to move away from fossil fuel financing and invest in renewable energy. And I proposed a five-point plan to promote renewable energy worldwide.
First, we need to make renewable energy technology a global public good, including removing intellectual property barriers to technology transfer. Second, we need to improve global access to supply chains for renewable energy technology components and raw materials.
In 2020, the world installed 5 gigawatts of battery storage. We need 600 gigawatts of storage capacity by 2030. It is clear that we need a global coalition to achieve this.
Transportation bottlenecks and supply chain constraints, as well as higher costs for lithium and other battery metals, are hurting the adoption of such technologies and materials just as we need them most.
Third, we need to cut red tape that is holding up solar and wind projects. We need quick approvals and more efforts to modernize electricity grids. In the European Union, approval of a wind farm takes eight years, in the United States 10 years. In the Republic of Korea, onshore wind projects need 22 permits from eight different ministries.
Fourth, the world must shift energy subsidies away from fossil fuels to protect vulnerable people from energy shocks and invest in a just transition to a sustainable future.
And fifth, we need to triple investment in renewables. This includes multilateral development banks and development finance institutions, as well as commercial banks. All must step up and significantly increase investment in renewable energy sources.
We need more urgency from all world leaders. We are already dangerously close to reaching the 1.5°C limit, which scientists say is the maximum level of warming to avoid the worst climate impacts. To keep 1.5 alive, we need to cut emissions by 45 percent by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by mid-century. However, current national commitments will lead to an increase of almost 14 percent this decade.
That spells disaster.
The answer lies in renewables – in climate, energy security and providing clean electricity to hundreds of millions of people who currently lack it. Renewables are a triple win.
There is no excuse for anyone to reject the renewables revolution. While oil and gas prices have reached record price levels, renewables continue to fall in price. The cost of solar power and batteries has fallen by 85 percent over the past decade. Wind energy costs have fallen by 55 percent. And investment in renewables creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels.
Of course, renewables are not the only answer to the climate crisis. Nature-based solutions such as reversing deforestation and land degradation are essential. Likewise, efforts to promote energy efficiency. However, our ambition must be a rapid transition to renewable energy sources.
Once we move away from fossil fuels, the benefits will be huge, and not just for the climate. Energy prices will be lower and more predictable, with a positive knock-on effect on food and economic security. When energy prices rise, so do the costs of food and all the goods we rely on. So let's all agree that a rapid revolution in renewables is necessary and stop messing around while our future burns.
António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
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