BUILDINGBLOCKS: BEYOND COAL: THE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION

Today, coal is still the largest contributor to the growth in GHG emissions and the single largest source of global temperature increase. There are still thousands of plants that are operational, or soon-to-be operational, locking humanity into facing decades of GHG emissions. But COVID-19 is causing a disruption rarely seen in modern history, causing a sizeable decline in primary demand across fuel types, but particularly for oil and coal. Given the overwhelming commercial and environmental arguments in favor of coal sector transition, the current context presents a unique opportunity to accelerate the transition away from coal.

Clean energy investments will be vital to the COVID-19 economic recovery. Renewable energy is, for example, an engine for job creation with IRENA estimating that the fast-growing sector could employ as many as 42 million people globally by 2050. It also boosts local economies as decentralized, off-grid energy systems can help small businesses thrive and offer potential sources of additional income. The arguments for this transition is compelling, but first there is an urgent need to demonstrate, at scale, the integration of high volumes of variable renewable energy into power systems in a way that maintains safety, reliability, and security of energy supply while establishing alternative investment pathways that are consistent with a 2°C warming scenario.

The session will include a keynote by IEA on the key findings of the WEO 2021, followed by a panel discussion, involving senior representatives from key stakeholder groups, on the following topics:

WATCH THE RECORDING

PRESENTATION

See the slides from the webinar.

AGENDA

Moderator Jonathan Walters, Senior Fellow, E3G & Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

8:10 am Mechthild Wörsdörfer, Director, Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks, IEA

8:25 am Grové Steyn, Managing Director, Meridian Economics

8:33 am Chandrasekar Govindarajalu, World Bank

8:41 am Steven Kuhn, Director General for Multilateral Affairs and Climate Change, Environment and Climate Change Canada

8:49 am Dan Dorner, Head of CEM Secretariat, Clean Energy Ministerial

8:57 am Mafalda Duarte, CEO, CIF

9:05 am Q&A

9:25 am Closing

SPEAKERS

Mafalda Duarte

Head Climate Investment Funds

Mafalda Duarte is CEO of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), an $8.5 billion multilateral fund supporting climate action in 72 developing countries for over a decade. Since assuming her position in 2014, Mafalda has implemented a pioneering vision centered on blazing new paths in leadership and learning in scaled climate action. Read More

Steven Kuhn

Director General of Multilateral Affairs and Climate Change Environment and Climate Change Canada

Steve Kuhn is the Director General of Multilateral Affairs and Climate Change at Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Canada’s Deputy Chief Climate Change Negotiator. Previously, Mr. Khun has held positions within the Government of Canada’s Privy Council Office and Department of Finance, where he has focused on international finance and foreign policy.

Dr Grové Steyn

Managing Director Meridian Economics

Dr Grové Steyn is the Managing Director of Meridian Economics, an energy and infrastructure economics advisory firm based in Cape Town. Mr. Steyn is a prominent infrastructure and regulatory economist in South Africa with more than 25 years’ experience in the electricity, gas and liquid fuels sectors.

Mechthild Wörsdörfer

Director for Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks IEA

As Director of Sustainability, Technology and Outlooks (STO) at IEA, Ms. Wörsdörfer plans and co-ordinates the IEA’s work on energy sustainability, encompassing clean energy technologies and climate change policy. Previously, she held several senior management positions in the European Commission, where she coordinated the work on the 2030 Energy and Climate Framework, the Clean Energy Package and the 2050 Energy Roadmap.

Chandrasekar Govindarajalu

Lead Energy Specialist The World Bank Group

Chandrasekar Govindarajalu has over 20 years of experience working at the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) on energy efficiency, energy access and renewable energy across 15 countries in South Asia, East Asia as well as Middle East and North Africa. He leads the energy climate finance team which is responsible for mobilizing climate finance for the Energy and Extractives Practice at the World Bank. He also leads the global energy storage program and the coal transition program at ESMAP.

Dan Dorner

Head of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Secretariat Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM)

Dan Dorner is the Head of the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) Secretariat team based in Paris, from where he brings countries, companies and international experts together to shape and accelerate the deployment of clean energy worldwide. Prior to this, he served as the Head of International Energy for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, United Kingdom. He represented the UK at a range of international energy fora, including the G7 and G20, CEM, IEA and IRENA. He also led the UK government’s strategic relationship with several multinational energy companies.

Jonathan Walters

Senior Fellow E3G

Jonathan Walters is an energy economist focusing on disruptive technology, renewable energy, and climate change mitigation. He is a former World Bank director and is a Senior Research Fellow of the Oxford Institute of Energy Studies and Senior Associate of E3G (the climate change think tank).