THE world needs to double the supply of electricity from renewables by 2030 to avoid climate change undermining global energy security, the United Nations said.
Not only is the energy sector a major source of the carbon emissions that drive climate change, it is also increasingly vulnerable to the shifts that come with a heating planet, the UN's World Meteorological Organization stressed.
In its State of Climate Services annual report, the WMO warned that increasingly intense extreme weather events, droughts, floods and sea-level rise -- all linked to climate change -- were already making energy supply less reliable.
It pointed, for instance, to a historic heatwave that caused the massive power outages in Buenos Aires in January.
In 2020, a massive 87 percent of global electricity generated by thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants directly depended on having freshwater for cooling, the WMO said.
But a third of power plants running on fossil fuels are in areas of high water stress, as are 15 percent of existing nuclear power plants -- a share expected to swell to 25 percent in the next 20 years.
Eleven percent of hydroelectric dams are also located in highly water-stressed areas, while more than a quarter of existing hydropower schemes and nearly as many planned ones are in river basins that currently struggle with medium to high water scarcity, the WMO said.
Nuclear power plants, it added, are also often located in low-lying coastal areas, leaving them potentially vulnerable to sea-level rise and flooding.
"Time is not on our side and our climate is changing before our eyes," WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas stressed.
"We need a complete transformation of the global energy system."
- Part of the problem -
Taalas pointed out that the energy sector ias itself a part of the problem since is the source of around three quarters of global greenhouse gas emissions that are changing the climate.
"Switching to clean forms of energy generation... and improving energy efficiency is vital," he said.
But he cautioned that reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 would only be possible "if we double the supply of low-emissions electricity within the next eight years".
Net-zero, or carbon neutrality, means carbon dioxide emitted by human activities are balanced globally by CO2 removed from the atmosphere over a specified period.
The WMO report stressed the growing importance of access to reliable weather, water and climate services to ensure power infrastructure was resilient and to meet rising energy demand.
The report, which WMO drafts with input from more than two dozen organisations, said shifting to renewable energy would help alleviate growing global water stress, pointing out that the amount of water used by solar and wind is much lower than for traditional power plants.
- Invest in Africa -
But it warned that the current pledges by countries to cut carbon emissions "fall well short" of what is needed to meet the objectives set by the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.
The report said global investments in renewable energy "need to triple by 2050 to put the world on a net-zero trajectory".
It called in particular for more clean energy investments in Africa.
The continent, which is already facing massive droughts and other severe effects from climate change, has seen only two percent of clean energy investment in the past two decades.
And yet with 60 percent of the best solar resources on the planet, it has the potential to become a major player in solar energy production, the report said.
However, significant investments are required.
"Bringing access to modern energy for all Africans calls for an investment of $25 billion annually," the report said.
That is the equivalent of around one percent of global energy investment today.
ETX Studio
Wed Oct 12 2022
![UN urges 'complete transformation' of global energy system UN urges 'complete transformation' of global energy system](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-10/41665557978_WMO.jpg)
In 2020, a massive 87 pct of global electricity generated by thermal, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants directly depended on having freshwater for cooling, the WMO said. - ETX Studio
![Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-12/61703329565_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Selasa, 16 Julai 2024.
![Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-03/71709993909_TBBERITAx.jpg)
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
![Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-01/71674060668_ChinaPopulation.jpg)
Ekonomi China teruskan momentum pemulihan
Ekonomi China meneruskan momentum pemulihan dan trend perkembangan ke arah baik dengan operasinya kekal stabil secara keseluruhannya pada separuh pertama tahun ini.
![PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-04/61714481430_TBNAIM.jpg)
PPZ-MAIWP catat RM511 juta kutipan zakat tahun ini, naik 10 peratus
PPZ-MAIWP mencatat kutipan zakat sebanyak RM511 juta dari Januari hingga Jun tahun ini dengan peningkatan sebanyak 10 peratus berbanding tempoh sama pada 2023.
![Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/71721144143_TBBANGLADESHCAMPUS.jpg)
Empat terbunuh, puluhan cedera dalam protes antikuota di Bangladesh
Abu Sayeed, seorang daripada penyelaras dan pelajar di Universiti Begum Rokeya di Rangpur utara, terbunuh semasa pertempuran dengan polis.
![28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan 28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/51721144906_TBMAPBANNU.jpg)
28 orang termasuk 5 orang awam, 10 askar, terbunuh dalam tempoh 24 jam di Pakistan
Tentera menuding jari kepada kumpulan Hafiz Gul Bahadur dari Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) yang diharamkan.
![Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721130378_JohariAbdulGhani.jpg)
Misi ekonomi produk agrikomoditi ke India perkukuh hubungan dua hala
KPK akan mengadakan Misi Ekonomi Produk Agrikomoditi Malaysia ke India pada 17-18 Julai ini.
![Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-05/41715247870_SohThianLaijpg.jpg)
Golongan belia pemacu penting bentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia - FMM
Pemimpin perniagaan dan usahawan daripada golongan belia merupakan pemacu penting yang akan membentuk masa depan industri pembuatan Malaysia, kata Presiden Persekutuan Pekilang-Pekilang Malaysia.
AWANI Tonight: 16 July 2024
#AWANITonight with @Hafiz_Marzukhi
1. Govt mulls amending Penal Code to deal with cyberbullying
2. England's Southgate resigns after Euro 2024 Final defeat
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
1. Govt mulls amending Penal Code to deal with cyberbullying
2. England's Southgate resigns after Euro 2024 Final defeat
#AWANIEnglish #AWANINews
![9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober 9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-06/81718630490_Smokerises.jpg)
9,241 pelajar Palestin terbunuh dalam serangan Israel sejak 7 Oktober
9,318 pelajar terbunuh dan 14,671 lagi cedera di Semenanjung Gaza manakala di Tebing Barat, 103 pelajar terbunuh dan 505 lagi cedera.
![Jangan jejaskan usaha tangani isu perubahan iklim dengan sentimen politik - Ahli Parlimen Jangan jejaskan usaha tangani isu perubahan iklim dengan sentimen politik - Ahli Parlimen](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2023-06/51686368102_Pesawah.jpg)
Jangan jejaskan usaha tangani isu perubahan iklim dengan sentimen politik - Ahli Parlimen
Jika tiada kematangan dan keinginan politik, sudah pasti isu perubahan cuaca akan memberi impak yang sangat besar kepada masa depan negara.
![Perubahan iklim: Adakah Singapura akan tenggelam? Perubahan iklim: Adakah Singapura akan tenggelam?](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2019-12/61577024517_SingaporeBanjir.jpg)
Perubahan iklim: Adakah Singapura akan tenggelam?
Menurut ramalan Pusat Penyelidikan Iklim Singapura, republik tersebut bakal mengalami peningkatan paras air laut sehingga satu meter menjelang tahun 2100.
![Climate change in Malaysia and what it means for us Climate change in Malaysia and what it means for us](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/http://img.astroawani.com/2018-03/81521630303_ClimateChange.jpg)
Climate change in Malaysia and what it means for us
The worlds climate is changing for the worse, and humans are responsible for that. Lets dive into a touch of science to make sense of this.