(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
Participants in the International Energy Agency's (IEA) 7th
Annual Global Conference on Energy Efficiency, taking place in
Sonderborg in southern Denmark between June 7 and June 9, pledged
on Wednesday to 'turbocharge energy efficiency progress to combat
the energy crisis and meet the climate goals,' Trend reports citing
Xinhua.
'Energy efficiency is a critical solution to so many of the
world's most urgent challenges -- it can simultaneously make our
energy supplies more affordable, more secure and more sustainable,'
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said .
'The oil shocks of the 1970s set in motion major advances in
efficiency, and it is utterly essential that efficiency is at the
heart of the response to today's global energy crisis.'
The gravity of the crisis is underscored by the publication of a
new IEA report, timed to coincide with the global conference, which
urges delegates to seek 'a rapid solution to the crippling effects
of the spike in energy prices, strengthening energy security and
tackling climate change.'
The analysis says that a 'global push on efficiency would help
create 10 million additional jobs in fields ranging from building
retrofits to manufacturing and transport infrastructure.'
According to Dan Jorgensen, Denmark's minister of climate,
energy and utilities, the current pressure on Europe's energy
security makes energy efficiency even more important.
'By saving energy, we also reduce demand. So, we are not as
dependent as we used to be on fossil fuels,' Jorgensen told
Xinhua.
According to the IEA analysis, doubling the current global rate
of energy intensity improvement to 4 percent per year could reduce
final energy consumption by 95 exajoules per year by the end of the
decade. Global carbon emissions would be reduced by an additional 5
billion tonnes per year by 2030.
Jorgensen said he expected Denmark's experiences with renewable
energy and energy-efficient solutions to serve as a model for other
countries.
'China is a huge country with a huge potential for growth in a
sustainable way, which is also the goal of the Chinese government,'
he said.
'If we in any way can help with some of our solutions, our
technology, then that will be great,' he added.
This year's global conference is jointly organized by the IEA
and Denmark's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, with
support from Danish engineering company Danfoss.
The conference is attended by approximately 25 ministers from
around the world, as well as United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP26) President Alok Sharma, African Union
Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Amani Abou-Zeid, and
European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
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