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We've just wrapped up our two-day parliamentary roundtable on renewable energy at Marrakech, where MPs from around the world committed themselves to bold climate action in their national parliaments. Update - presentations and photographs from the event are now available for download!
The event, held to coincide with the latest round of the UN climate talks following the ratification of the historic Paris Agreement earlier this year, concentrated on the remarkable opportunities presented by large-scale renewable energy for powering the global economy, fighting energy poverty, and achieving deep decarbonisation, while also exploring the considerable roadblocks that must be overcome before renewable energy can achieve its full potential. At the event, we also launched our new Green Grid Network, a nexus of legislators and analysts from twenty less-industrialised economies and partners from the global north, dedicated to accelerating the transition to renewable energy and the construction of the new grids that are needed to create a 100% reliable supply of clean energy for all. The Green Grid Network will support the International Solar Alliance, recently launched by 121 countries at the Paris climate summit, with the aim of deploying 1 terrawatt of solar power (roughly the power supply of the United States) by 2030. And it will help to convene a Green Grid Alliance of 20-25 governments to act as a leadership group on new renewable energy infrastructure, ranging from renewable energy microgrids at village level to continental-scale supergrids connecting us to the best sources of cheap renewable energy, such as sunny deserts and windy coastlines.
Our Parliamentary Roundtable brought together MPs, ministers experts, and government officials for urgent discussion of how this agenda can best be advanced. Presenters included the Costa Rican Minister for Environment, the Cabinet Minister of Ethiopia, the State Minister for International Trade of Sri Lanka, and the Director-General of the Chinese Centre for Climate Strategy and International Cooperation. In addition, the Climate Parliament held bilateral meetings with many national delegations at the COP in order to discuss building the Green Grid Network.
We'll be uploading more photos and reports on the proceedings of the two-day event in the coming days, as well as the results of our round of bilateral meetings as more countries join the Green Grid Alliance. Watch this space!