The Nepal Weekly 
January 23, 2024
The International Day of Clean Energy on 26 January was declared by the UN General Assembly (resolution A/77/327) as a call to raise awareness and mobilize action for a just and inclusive transition to clean energy for the benefit of people and the planet.
26 January is also the founding date of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), a global intergovernmental agency established in 2009 to support countries in their energy transitions, serve as a platform for international cooperation, and provide data and analyses on clean energy technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment.
By selecting the 26th January, the 193 Member States of the UNGA acknowledge IRENA’s leading role in accelerating the global, renewables-based energy transition.
It is recognised that since the foundation of IRENA on the 26th of January 2009, the energy transition has taken centre-stage to fight climate change, enhance human welfare and drive an urgent and systemic shift for increased energy access, reduced inequalities, improved energy security, and prosperous and resilient economies and societies.
By creating a day focused on clean energy, the UN underscores the importance of inclusivity and offers a dedicated day for both traditional and non-traditional actors to showcase their contributions to more affordable, reliable, and sustainable modern energy systems that ultimately help accelerate progress towards the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera then mentioned “Launching an International Day of Clean Energy is a powerful way to remind the world of its commitment to universal clean energy access and meeting the Paris Agreement climate goal.”
Energy lies at the core of a double challenge: leaving no one behind and protecting the Planet. And clean energy is crucial to its solution.
In a world grappling with climate change, clean energy plays a vital role in reducing emissions, and can also benefit communities lacking access to reliable power sources. Still today, 675 million people live in the dark – 4 in 5 are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The connection between clean energy, socio-economic development, and environmental sustainability is crucial in addressing issues faced by vulnerable communities worldwide.
For populations without clean energy access, the lack of reliable power hinders education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, and many of these developing regions still rely heavily on polluting fossil fuels for their daily life, perpetuating poverty. If current trends continue, by 2030 one in four people will still use unsafe, unhealthy and inefficient cooking systems, such as burning wood or dung.
Although this situation has been improving, the world is not on track to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all by 2030. The General Assembly will hold a Global Stocktaking on SDG7 in April 2024 to assess progress and recommend solutions.
But adopting clean energy is integral to the fight against climate change, as well.
A large chunk of the greenhouse gases that blanket the Earth and trap the Sun’s heat are generated through energy production, by burning fossil fuels (oil, coal, and gas) to generate electricity and heat.
The science is clear: to limit climate change, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable, and reliable. Renewable energy sources – which are available in abundance all around us, provided by the sun, wind, water, waste, and heat from the Earth – are replenished by nature and emit little to no greenhouse gases or pollutants into the air. At the same time, improving energy efficiency is key. Using less energy for the same output – through more efficient technologies in the transport, building, lighting, and appliances sectors for instance: saves money, cuts down on carbon pollution, and helps ensure universal access to sustainable energy for all. (By R P Narayan)
