An increasing number of countries are recognising the key role of wind energy in supporting a global clean energy transition. The urgency to scale up clean power generation and shift away from unabated coal power were key elements of the Glasgow Climate Pact, endorsed at COP26 summit in November 2021 by the nearly 200 countries signed up to the Paris Agreement. Renewable energy is a component of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for most of the Parties to the Paris Agreement, and more than 100 Parties have a quantified clean power target within their NDCs.
There is a growing mismatch between energy transition ambitions, net zero targets and market realities, however. Accelerated deployment of renewable energy, and particularly large-scale sources of clean power like wind and solar energy, are needed worldwide to limit the most harmful impacts of climate change.
To reach our shared global goal of limiting temperature rise by the end of the century to 1.5°C, the volume of annual wind energy installations must scale up roughly four times over the next decade. This is a huge challenge which will require shared vision and collaboration between governments, industry, and society. Given the urgency of the transition, it is vital that the deployment of wind energy does not face unnecessary delays due to resolvable challenges, such as bureaucratic permitting procedures and market barriers to investment.
The resources and coordination required for this scale of action have been stretched over the last two years, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This challenge is particularly acute in developing economies, where public spending and policy response have focused on short-term protections of society and economy. As countries learn to manage the difficulties of the pandemic and economic activity returns, it is time to undertake the actions which will benefit society and economy in the long term.