What if the biggest opportunity to solve climate change isn’t where you think it is? What about developing countries taking bold steps to secure a cleaner, more independent energy future?
In this episode of Power Struggle podcast, Stewart Muir talks with Woochong Um, CEO of the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP), and Isabel Beltrán, vice-president of GEAPP and its lead in Latin America.
ABOUT GEAPP
GEAPP’s founding partners included the IKEA Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation and the Bezos Earth Fund. “Together we seek to tackle the challenge of energy access for all through a just transition, unlocking a new era of inclusive green economic growth for vulnerable people while enabling the global community to meet critical climate goals within the next decade.”
THE CHALLENGE
Our Stewart Muir raises this issue: One of the most pressing challenges of our era is eradicating energy poverty (meaning we need more power) but, at the same time combating the climate crisis. He asked Woochong for an insight.
Woochong spoke of an existential challenge that humanity faces. “Unless we move quickly and more boldly, our planet will not survive in the long run. So that basically means we have to do everything we can to try to reduce the greenhouse gas emission that is human-made. . . . And we also need to provide access to clean energy to 1.5 billion people.”
THE GEAPP VISION
As Stewart has long noted, for many nations, energy is a luxury. “Their citizens live in a world where access to energy can mean the difference between poverty and prosperity, survival and progress.”
Woochong says any one can benefit and improve their livelihood using ‘green electrons.” And so the GEAPP vision is to galvanize the key players around the world to focus on the lower middle-income countries and the lower-income countries so that they can get onto the right path.
TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT
Canada’s federal government will require 100% of new cars sold by 2035 to be zero-emission vehicles. So will BC, five years ahead of its original target. And Woochong tells Stewart that electrifying transport is a key to economic development.
“If you keep just building roads where you put fossil-fuel-burning cars again, you’re going to have a huge impact in global greenhouse-gas emissions. At the same time, the countries will be bogged down with traffic. You know, when there’s traffic, it does have a huge impact on the economy.”
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Stewart notes how even the wealthiest developed countries, including Canada, are struggling to reduce the emissions. And he asks: “How is it going to be possible for the developing world, for the lower- and middle-income nations, to do it if these wealthy countries haven’t shown that much progress?”
Woochong: “I think you’re underestimating the power of the wealthier countries, because you do have technology and finances. . . . What we are trying to do is capture the knowledge, the technology and the finance that are domiciled in the developed countries to be channeled to developing countries.”
$300 TRILLION FUNDING
The COP29 world climate conference last November agreed to triple financing to developing countries, to the tune of US$300 billion by 2035. But there had been initial calls at the conference for US$1.3 trillion, as witnessed by Woochong.
“That $300-billion number may be not as big as what some people had expected, but . . . the fact that there is a deal is a very, very important step. This also sends a signal that everyone needs to focus more to turn that $300 billion into trillions of dollars by mobilizing private capital, because that’s where the real money is.”
He makes the point that a reduction in emissions, regardless of where it happens, has a global impact. “We are trying to facilitate the developed countries to help the developing countries so that we can all help ourselves in a global way.”
THE GREEN TRANSITION
Stewart asked what the $300 billion will be used for. He noted GEAPP is supporting Battery Energy Storage Systems.
Woochong sees such systems as a game-changer “We have to make sure that people understand that green transition is good for business and good for economy. Of course, it’s good for decarbonization and global warming, but at the end of the day, people will benefit from cleaner, cheaper electricity that’s more stable.”
ENERGY TO REDUCE POVERTY
Stewart turned to GEAPP’s Isabel Beltrán, who has more than 15 years of experience in economic development, having worked at the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, focusing on sub-Saharan Africa as well as Latin America.
Beltrán tells Stewart that the productive use of energy is one of the best indicators of development. “So it’s a matter of not only good for the environment, but also a really effective poverty-reduction mechanism.”
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE
In Latin America, says Beltrán, climate change is already affecting the production of hydro-electric power in Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil. And power in Caribbean islands has been hit by hurricane damage and/or unreliable supplies of diesel fuel for generators.
Beltrán says they all need to work on their energy resilience. They ask how to incorporate large-scale batteries so they have some backup against hurricanes and storms. And how do they become less dependent on diesel?
She reports the region is very close to reaching 100% electrification, but many millions of people are not connected, and millions get power for only a couple of hours a day.
COUNTRIES WORKING TOGETHER
Stewart asked Beltrán about the Universal Access Coalition, launched by GEAPP and Brazil to bring about more, and more reliable, power supplies, and to reduce dependency on fossil fuels.
Beltrán: “There’s not like one solution for all. But among the things that we have discussed is the need to . . . provide a platform through which donors can aggregate funding in a bigger scale, instead of small pilots here and there. So could we create a multi-donor trust fund dedicated to energy issues?”
As well: “Countries are working hard, they all have agendas, they all have goals, and so really taking the time to figure out and working alongside the countries to ensure that what you are doing is not only additional but also it’s building upon what they’re doing.
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