In a ministerial statement released after the IEA’s 8th Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Versailles, France, governments from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe highlighted the critical role that energy efficiency can plan in improving living standards and energy security, as well as accelerating the clean energy transition towards net-zero emission by 2030. This will mean ramping up annual energy efficiency progress from the current 2.2% to more than 4% annually by 2030. Ed’s note: Why energy efficiency is your go-to power solutionThe Versailles Statement on “the crucial decade for energy efficiency” urges all parties and stakeholders to take part in COP28 in Dubai later this year to raise their ambition and strengthen energy efficiency policy implementation in line with the Paris Agreement. Global energy efficiency measures require policy supportMinisters agreed on the Versailles Statement during a roundtable meeting at the conclusion of the IEA Global Conference on Energy Efficiency. These policies include:The US Inflation Reduction Action – estimated to provide around $95 billion for energy efficiency measures, 26% of the total package of energy and climate change measures of the next decadeJapan’s Green Transformation Plans – strengthens the legal basis for improving the country’s energy ambitions by amending the Act on Rationalising Energy Use and Building Energy EfficiencyThe EU Energy Efficiency Directive was updated in 2023 and it issued the REPowerEU plan that raises the EU’s 2030 energy efficiency target to 11.7% for final and priary energy, laying out its Energy Efficiency First principleIndia’s Energy Conservation Amendment BillChile’s new Energy Efficiency lawNigeria’s commitment to carbon neutrality by 2060Argentina is also developing a new Energy Efficiency Bill; mandatory minimum efficiency performance standards are now in place in more than 100 countries and South Africa published new efficiency requirements for lamps, meaning all new lamps sol must use energy efficiency LED technology.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 12, 2023 10:07 UTC