European power sector calls for maintaining momentum in Paris Agreement implementation phase

News Article

The European power sector has issued a statement today in which it calls on the international community to maintain in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The sector has strongly welcomed the Paris Agreement on climate change as a major landmark in addressing this global challenge and is now calling upon global leaders to kick-off the implementation process.

“We consider the Paris Agreement as a landmark global agreement which provides the necessary signal to governments, businesses and the general public of the universal commitment to fight climate change,” said EURELECTRIC Secretary General Hans ten Berge. “The European electricity sector strongly believes that decarbonisation is essential to guarantee the long-term sustainability of the global economy and is committed to leading this transition.”

The increasing demand for electricity is at the heart of the climate change challenge and has the potential to be a key part of the solution. As the European electricity sector pursues its commitment to deliver carbon neutral electricity supply by 2050, electricity becomes an obvious choice for driving sustainability.

With the attention now shifting to the implementation of the Paris Agreement, the European power sector stresses the importance of maintaining international political momentum in the months and years to come. The European power sector welcomes the swift ratification which will enable the Agreement to enter into force in time for the upcoming COP22 Conference in Marrakech. We believe that regional and national climate change policies and measures are now key for the implementation of the National Determined Contributions and therefore for the success of the Paris Agreement.

Looking ahead, we believe that in light of the Paris outcome, the role of the electricity sector will need to be strengthened during the implementation phase if we are to achieve the ambitious commitments set in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement. The necessary global reductions required in order to stay within the 2°C temperature increase objective can be achieved, to a large extent, through the simultaneous decarbonisation of electricity and the electrification of the domestic, commercial and transport sectors when combined. This will also lead to other benefits like improvements in air quality, enabling energy efficiency and strengthening security of supply.

Furthermore, as a long-lasting supporter of carbon markets, EURELECTRIC has strongly welcomed the provisions in the Paris Agreement which recognise the important role of enhanced cooperation through market approaches and carbon pricing in achieving the global low carbon transition. We believe that market based mechanisms, such as carbon markets, are the most effective tool for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and stimulating investments in low carbon technologies and energy efficiency.