UN Panel Urges Fair Transition to Renewable Energy

A United Nations panel of experts released a report on September 11, 2024, with actionable recommendations aimed at guiding governments and industries in advancing a fair and just global energy transition. The report, titled “Resourcing the Energy Transition: Principles to Guide Critical Energy Transition Minerals Towards Equity and Justice,” comes as demand for minerals essential to renewable energy technologies is projected to nearly triple by 2030.

The panel’s recommendations focus on ensuring that the shift to renewable energy, driven by critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and copper, benefits all stakeholders while prioritizing justice, sustainability, and human rights. UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the importance of the panel’s work, calling it a “how-to guide” for achieving global prosperity alongside a clean energy future. He stressed the need for the renewable energy revolution to be rooted in fairness and equity, protecting both people and the environment. The release of the report comes ahead of COP29, and Guterres urged the group to share its findings with member countries to strengthen global commitment to sustainable energy transition. The expert panel’s report outlines seven guiding principles designed to promote fairness, transparency and sustainability throughout the mineral value chain – from extraction and refining to recycling. Ambassador Nozipho Joyce Mxakato-Diseko of South Africa, the co-chair of the group, called for international cooperation and emphasized the urgent need for cooperation to tackle the climate crisis and support justice, human rights and equality.

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