Countries around the world need to urgently scale up deployment of wind power in order to address the climate emergency, according to the Global Wind Coalition for COP26, which officially launches today on Global Wind Day.
Wind holds the most decarbonisation potential of any renewable energy source and is an indispensable part of the solution to climate change, while generating significant socioeconomic benefits, the coalition said.
But the world is not installing wind power at the pace needed to achieve net zero, and much more needs to be done to unleash its potential.
The wind industry’s new campaign for COP26 asks governments, companies, and people across the world one critical question: Wind. Are You In?
The Global Wind Energy Coalition for COP26 is an initiative led by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), and is a multi-stakeholder group of leading wind power companies and associations from across the globe.
Members include Aker Offshore Wind, Akselos, BayWa RE, DNV, EDP Renewables, Equinor, GE Renewable Energy, Glennmont Partners from Nuveen, Green Investment Group, Mainstream Renewable Power, Orsted, Principle Power, RWE, Siemens Gamesa, SSE Renewables, Vestas, ABEEolica, American Clean Power, Chinese Renewable Energy Industry Association, Chinese Wind Energy Association, RenewableUK, South African Wind Energy Association and WindEurope.
GWEC chief executive Ben Backwell said: “We need to move from talking to action, and work together to massively scale up wind power around the world if we want to get to net zero by 2050.
We need to be installing wind energy three to four times the current pace, which means we need governments to urgently raise their ambition, simplify red tape, invest in grid and revamp energy markets.
“The wind industry has the technology, and there is huge appetite from investors and companies to switch to clean energy, but we need governments to stop holding us back and be all in for wind.”
GWEC Director of COP26 Rebecca Williams said: “Investing in wind power is a win-win for countries to create new local jobs and investment today to power a green recovery, while building more resilient infrastructure and economies for tomorrow.
Governments are missing their golden opportunity to achieve their parallel goals of climate action and boosting economies after the Covid-19 crisis if they don’t take urgent action to drive wind power growth. We need them to get serious about wind.
“All eyes are going to be on Glasgow this November as world leaders gather for COP26, and governments need to use this critical moment to put the world on the right track to achieve net zero.
We don’t have time left to go on ‘business-as-usual’ – the climate emergency is already here. Luckily, we already have the solution that can significantly reduce the world’s carbon emissions, but we need governments to join us now or risk getting left behind.”