ECO loves renewables and has heard that more than 100 states have signed on to a “pledge” to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency by 2030. That‘s a great start, but a pledge without commitment in the formal outcome is like buying a gym membership and only using the sauna – warm, comfortable, but missing the point.
This COP, ECO wants to see Parties follow through on their pledge and include the target to triple fair, safe and clean renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency gains by 2030 as part of a formal COP28 decision.
But a renewable goal without a commitment from all Parties to get rid of fossil fuels – and ECO means all fossil fuels – is like a showy gym dude, appearing committed to flexing climate muscles while not being able to do the heavy lifting.
ECO is here to help you avoid that. Delegates, here is a tailored workout plan for you to effectively train your climate justice muscles:
- Exercise 1: Real climate gym influencers immediately scale up their financial muscles to really deliver a credible energy package. Start by acknowledging the financing need in the scale of billions at this COP and make a plan to follow up. ECO has read reports estimating at least $100 billion in concessional loans and $200 billion in grants are needed each year for the transition towards renewables. This would be a start, but these figures and do not even include the costs of a just transition, investment in workforce, training/skilling and many other crucial components. Considering the historic responsibilities of richer OECD countries that have polluted the atmosphere with carbon since about 1850, we’ll be looking to them to do more of the heavy lifting.
- Exercise 2: Build trust by delivering action towards reaching 1.5°C, instead of more “I will go to the gym tomorrow” rhetoric. Of course, dear delegates, this transformation will be hard to achieve. But bear in mind that you will lose more trust than ever if you fall behind pledges over and over again! The world has seen that happen too many times, so let us not make the same mistake for this historic, one-time-only chance again.
- Exercise 3: ECO also wants to remind you that this transformation must be done in a way that benefits and does not harm people, communities, and ecosystems, and does not further replicate racial and colonial injustices and extractivism of critical minerals from the Global South to the North. So we suggest ‘3 Ps’ for your motivational workout mantra: Participation, Parity and Planning.
After this climate workout, ECO is more optimistic that you can keep your promises and deliver the comprehensive energy package as part of the COP decision ECO has been asking for.