“Because we share IRENA’s vision, I look forward to exploring how we can partner with the Council at large and any of its members in particular,” Governor Patrick said.
“Challenges as large as climate change demand collaboration and the sharing of lessons learned. When the stakes are this high, and the opportunities are this great, going it alone is not the wisest option,” he added.
In all, delegates from 96 countries travelled to Abu Dhabi to discuss climate change, the socio-economic benefits of renewable energy, and ways to accelerate its deployment in developed economies.
The Council, which was held June 2 and 3, also focused on the Agency’s progress in its first biennial cycle of programming.
“Renewable energy, coupled with energy efficiency, is increasingly seen as a central element to finding solutions to the climate change challenge,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. “Not only is securing a sustainable energy future the right choice to address the climate change challenge, it is the socially and economically beneficial choice.”
The most recent findings of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns of significant, adverse consequences if action is not taken now. The report stressed that tripling or even quadrupling the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix by 2050 is a central part of the solution.
IRENA Director-General Amin supported the Governor’s call for increased partnership.
“No country alone can address the challenges the world is facing in meeting the growing energy needs and lifting people out of poverty while tackling the existential threat that climate change poses to us all,” Mr. Amin said. “That is why IRENA welcomes Governor Patrick’s offer for enhanced international cooperation, including the State level. Renewable energy is a central part of the solution and IRENA is providing a platform to accelerate and upscale deployment.”
Among the 96 countries represented at the IRENA Council, some were represented at the ministerial level including Ghana, Uganda, Grenada, and from the host country, The United Arab Emirates, led by UAE Minister of State and Special Envoy for Energy and Climate Change, Dr. Sultan Al Jaber.
Dr. Al Jaber said: "IRENA's new research hits at the heart of both the energy and climate agendas. We see that renewable energy is the real success story of global climate change mitigation efforts. It delivers carbon savings, and it's an option everyone can get behind. This view emerged at the UN Secretary General's Abu Dhabi Ascent last month, and as we move toward the Climate Summit in New York in September and look beyond it, renewable energy will be a locus of cooperation and investment."
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