The call to action endorsed by SIDS Ministers at the #SEforALLForum in #Barbados sends a clear and urgent message: Small Island Developing States require immediate, scaled-up action on renewables, resilient infrastructure, and climate finance to achieve a just and equitable transition.
Small islands have ambitious climate goals yet face significant challenges. They encounter unique barriers, including financing and policy gaps, as well as the urgent need for grid and storage upgrades to effectively integrate higher shares of renewable energy.
Addressing these challenges requires developed countries, international financial institutions, and private sector actors to significantly scale up concessional financing, capacity-building initiatives, and technology transfer, while ensuring that SIDS have a stronger voice and greater influence in global climate negotiations.
As the coordinator of the SIDS Lighthouses Initiative, IRENA has been actively working to accelerate the energy transition in small islands. Since 2014, the Agency has supported over 40 SIDS, including several in the #Caribbean, by facilitating 331 technical assistance activities such as data collection, roadmap development, capacity building, and project facilitation.
However, SIDS still generate 80% of their electricity from fossil fuels, highlighting the urgent need to raise ambition and accelerate action further.
As we move toward #COP30, it is essential to strengthen renewable energy targets in #NDCs and fully integrate these targets into national energy and climate plans.
Enhanced planning processes ensure that renewables become not just an option but the foundation for energy security, economic resilience, and climate adaptation.
It was a great opportunity to highlight these priorities at the #SEforALLForum. I also want to congratulate my dear friend Damilola Ogunbiyi on a very successful event and look forward to continuing this important conversation on the road to #Belém.
For more on the call to action: https://lnkd.in/dAsE2M6C
