Reflecting on key climate announcements from day two of COP26

Under the Breakthrough Agenda, 40 nations have committed to coordinate the global introduction of clean technologies, including clean electricity and electric vehicles.  

The UK, US, China, India, the EU and Australia are among the group who have signed up to the Breakthrough Agenda. The first five breakthroughs will be clean electricity, electric vehicles, green steel, hydrogen and sustainable farming. The aim is to make these affordable and available to all nations by 2030 and create 20 million new jobs.

We have seen this work with solar panels and LEDs and now we need to see the same for electric vehicles and green energy. Transport is the single biggest contributor to carbon emissions here in the UK, yet a vital part of people’s lives. We need to see greater adoption of electric vehicles to reach net zero and we look forward to seeing how the agenda can help drive this forward.

Another new initiative was announced by the Rockefeller and IKEA Foundations, who have established the Green Energy Alliance for People and Planet.

The IKEA Foundation is one of the co-chairs of Efficiency for Access with UK aid and funds the Low Energy Inclusive Appliances (LEIA) programme, which we coordinate with our partner, CLASP.

We welcome the news that the IKEA Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, a donor member of Efficiency for Access, are joining forces on the Global Energy Alliance for People and the Planet. This alliance will aim to reach 1 billion people with reliable, renewable power, avoid 4 billion tonnes of carbon emissions and drive economic growth, with more than 150 million jobs created, enabled or improved.

This initiative is an important and welcome part of global efforts to create a just and inclusive clean energy transition and help vulnerable communities in the Global South adapt to the effects of climate change.

A group of more than 100 world leaders have pledged to end deforestation by 2030, including Brazil, which is home to the Amazon rainforest.

Nature has been a focus at the climate summit today, with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos committing £1.5 billion to restoring landscape and transforming food systems.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the “greatest potential” for curbing methane levels comes from the energy sector and the production of oil and gas.

Phasing out our reliance on the use of fossil fuels and decarbonising our energy is imperative to ensure we keep global temperatures below the 2°C Paris Agreement target – and ideally to 1.5°C.