More options

Resilience and Carbon Neutrality

Introduction

UNECE is helping countries to build resilient and carbon neutral energy systems. These concepts were endorsed by member States during the 31st session and the 32nd Session of the Committee on Sustainable Energy. This overarching topic guides the efforts of all 6 subsidiary bodies of the Committee, with the theme of resilient energy systems being embedded in respective workplans of these expert groups.

In 2023 we launched a joint and collaborative multi-stakeholder initiative, the Platform on Resilient Energy Systems, a place where UNECE is strategically collaborating on creating an AI-powered tool for informed decision-making, together with a number of international organizations, such as European Investment Bank (EIB), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the World Bank, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), etc.

The Platform builds on the UNECE Carbon Neutrality Toolkit which was developed for member States to help them identify technology and policy options and to maximize the use of all low- and zero-carbon technologies in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The toolkit is supporting member States in decarbonizing and building energy resilience by applying the findings of technology interplay at national and subregional levels.

In focus

As the global conversation around resilient energy systems and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption intensifies, a groundbreaking initiative is underway to harness the power of technology in shaping policy decisions. UNECE’s Sustainable Energy Division in cooperation with the University of Zurich have created the chatenergy.app, a beta-version of an AI-platform querying the indexed knowledge base related to energy system resilience from a number of international organizations driving the energy transition agenda.

UNECE developed a Carbon Neutrality Toolkit for policymakers to make informed decisions on how nations can accelerate the energy transition towards attaining carbon neutrality.

Carbon Neutrality is needed now! Emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) must peak now if global warming is to be limited to 2°C. CO2 removal is key to eliminate GHG emissions from the existing, predominantly fossil fuel-based infrastructure, ensure reliable energy services and social cohesion, and enable a smooth transition.

Improving energy efficiency and decarbonising energy supply are essential to meet the Paris Agreement targets. Renewable energy, highly efficient fossil fuels with carbon capture, use, and storage (CCUS), nuclear power, and hydrogen will all be part of the mix. Only bold, immediate, and sustained action can decarbonize energy in time. International cooperation is essential to support all countries in the UNECE region to build resilience of the energy system and to accelerate energy transition towards attaining carbon neutrality.

Highlights

ACTIVITIES:

1. UNECE Carbon Neutrality Toolkit is helping countries to identify technology and policy options to attain carbon neutrality. UNECE applied this Toolkit in “Rebuilding Ukraine with a Resilient, Carbon-Neutral Energy System” . The UNECE Expert Community is now applying the Toolkit in Central Asia and in the Republic of Moldova.

2. UNECE Expert Community developed a concept on Building resilient energy systems in the UNECE region. A resilient energy system is ones where energy makes an optimal contribution to a country’s social, economic, and environmental development and that is able to withstand and recover quickly from any unanticipated shocks and reflects potential impacts of climate change on energy resources in its planning and operations.