The Climate Group unveils plans for eco-friendly industrial revolution
The Climate Group, a non-profit organisation that promotes clean technologies, has launched a new global initiative, The Energy Transition Platform, to help state and national governments transition from being highly industrialised, carbon-intensive to low-carbon, green and sustainable. It aims to build worldwide partnerships with knowledge partners, such as research institutes and think-tanks, and state and regional governments, to drive clean energy investment and develop innovative climate and energy policies.

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The New Energy Transition Platform, formally initiated at a public launch event in Dusseldorf today (25 May), aims to build worldwide partnerships through in-depth global peer learning, highlight the need for improved energy models at the national and international levels and analyse experiences to drive reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Since the initiative was announced earlier this year, several partner regions have joined including Wales, the Basque Country, California, South Australia. Knowledge partners, such as research institutes and think-tanks, will support the platform with scientific background analysis, data collection and verification of methodologies.

The Climate Group states and regions director Libby Ferguson said: “State and regional governments everywhere have – and continue – to drive clean energy investment and transform the energy mix with affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. They are crucial for delivering the actions needed to fulfil the targets of the Paris Agreement and support pre-2020 climate mitigation efforts.

“The Energy Transition Platform is a way for partner regions to develop and implement the most effective and forward-thinking climate and energy policies. These heavy industry economies with high potential for emissions reduction are pivotal in getting more governments involved in collective low carbon growth, and moving us toward achieving net zero emissions by 2050. If they can do it, so can the rest of the world.”

Global energy productivity

The launch of the New Energy Transition Platform comes weeks world leaders gathered for the signing ceremony of the Paris Agreement, which stipulated a need for greater collaboration across different levels of governance to empower sub-national actors to deliver climate action.

The Climate Group’s new initiative is the latest global platform bringing together both government and non-government actors to make ambitious sustainability commitments. Earlier this month, the NGO launched a new global energy productivity scheme to support businesses vowing to double in-house energy productivity and maximise economic output from each unit of energy used.

Research late last year revealed that more than 170 major companies, cities and regions had committed to 100% renewable energy or reduced emissions by 80-100%.

George Ogleby