{"id":76190,"date":"2022-10-12T11:38:51","date_gmt":"2022-10-12T15:38:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carilec.org\/?p=76190"},"modified":"2022-10-12T11:38:51","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T15:38:51","slug":"climate-change-wmo-report-urges-faster-action-on-transition-to-clean-energy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carilec.org\/climate-change-wmo-report-urges-faster-action-on-transition-to-clean-energy\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate change: WMO report urges faster action on transition to clean energy"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a9 UNICEF\/Tamir Bayarsaikhan Air pollution in Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia.<\/p><\/div>\n

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The UN weather agency issued an urgent appeal on Tuesday for governments everywhere to switch to cleaner forms of energy, such as solar, wind and hydro-electric power.<\/strong><\/p>\n

n its new\u00a0report<\/a>\u00a0the World Meteorological Organization (WMO<\/a>) said that in order to limit the global temperature rise which is undermining energy security, electricity tapped from clean energy sources must double over the next eight years.<\/p>\n

With the energy sector responsible for around 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, WMO chief Petteri Taalas said that switching to cleaner energy generation and improving energy efficiency \u2013 is \u201cvital if we are to thrive in the 21st century\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cNet zero by 2050 is the aim. But we will only get there if we double the supply of low-emissions electricity within the next eight years\u201d.<\/p>\n

Fighting against time<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The\u00a02022 State of Climate Services<\/em><\/a>, which includes inputs from 26 different organizations, zeroes in on energy \u2013 a key factor for realizing international agreements on sustainable development, climate change, and planet health.<\/p>\n

Access to reliable weather, water and climate information and services, will be increasingly important to strengthen the resilience of energy infrastructure and meet rising demand, which has jumped 30 per cent over the past ten years.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime is not on our side, and our climate is changing before our eyes<\/strong>\u201d, said the WMO chief calling for \u201ca complete transformation of the global energy system\u201d.<\/p>\n

Energy security<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Climate change directly affects fuel supply, energy production, and the physical resilience of current and future energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Heatwaves and droughts are already putting existing energy production under stress, making it even more important to reduce fossil fuel emissions and illuminating the impact of more frequent and intense extreme weather, water and climate events.<\/p>\n

Adaptation boost<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Yet, despite these risks, just 40 per cent of climate action plans submitted by governments to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC<\/a>) prioritize adaptation in the energy sector \u2013 and investment is correspondingly low.<\/p>\n

A transition to renewable energy will help alleviate the growing stress on water supply, because the amount of water used to generate electricity by solar and wind is much lower than for more traditional power plants, either fossil-fuel or nuclear-based.<\/p>\n

But current renewable energy pledges by countries fall well short of what is needed to reach the goal of universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, by 2030, said WMO.<\/p>\n

Water stress<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In 2020, 87 per cent of global electricity generated from thermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric systems, depended directly on water availability.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, located in high water stress areas, are 33 per cent of the thermal power plants reliant upon freshwater for cooling, around 11 per cent of hydroelectric operations; and approximately 26 per cent of hydropower dams.<\/p>\n

And nuclear power plants, which depend on water for cooling, are also often situated in low-lying coastal areas \u2013 leaving them vulnerable to rising sea levels and weather-related flooding.<\/p>\n

Adaptation boost<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Yet, despite these risks, just 40 per cent of climate action plans submitted by governments to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC<\/a>) prioritize adaptation in the energy sector \u2013 and investment is correspondingly low.<\/p>\n

A transition to renewable energy will help alleviate the growing stress on water supply, because the amount of water used to generate electricity by solar and wind is much lower than for more traditional power plants, either fossil-fuel or nuclear-based.<\/p>\n

But current renewable energy pledges by countries fall well short of what is needed to reach the goal of universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy, by 2030, said WMO.<\/p>\n

Water stress<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

In 2020, 87 per cent of global electricity generated from thermal, nuclear, and hydroelectric systems, depended directly on water availability.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, located in high water stress areas, are 33 per cent of the thermal power plants reliant upon freshwater for cooling, around 11 per cent of hydroelectric operations; and approximately 26 per cent of hydropower dams.<\/p>\n

And nuclear power plants, which depend on water for cooling, are also often situated in low-lying coastal areas \u2013 leaving them vulnerable to rising sea levels and weather-related flooding.<\/p>\n

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