Electricity coalition pushes to lower carbon emissions in nine countries

An electricity coalition of power giants is working towards lowering carbon emissions.

Agents from nine countries are reaching out to international organizations and development finance institutions to work towards lower carbon emissions to zero.

The Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP) offered to help development finance firms identify which new technology investments can help developing countries reach the emissions standards put forth in the Paris Agreement on schedule.

The GSEP’s member firms have been promoting low-emission technology similar to the standards adopted by the Paris Agreement and spending time implementing new technology in their own countries, according to the open letter.

The 10 member countries of the GSEP provide about a third of the world’s electricity; 60 percent of that is without any direct carbon emissions, the letter said.

The electricity coalition also offered a number of recommendations for a “low-carbon future”: establishing clear long-term policies to address energy issues and related legal, regulatory, economic and environmental matters; approaching energy production systematically, including supply chains and aftereffects; creating public-private energy partnerships; and investing in new and innovative research and development of low-carbon and no-carbon technology.

These recommendations are increasingly important as more than 2 billion people seek new or reliable access to electricity, the GSEP opined.

Because coal is relatively low-priced and abundant, many poor or developing countries turn to coal to generate electricity. Coal produces more carbon emissions than any other fossil fuel, and its use contributes to air pollution and global warming. However, many developing nations don’t have access to low-emission energy sources or the financial means to develop them.

The Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership, which formed in 1992, seeks to join forces with development finance institutions and other organizations working to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. The partnership has helped to develop low-emission energy projects in several developing countries in the past two decades.

The letter encourages any interested companies to contact the GSEP.

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By Olivia Harvey, Earth.com Staff Writer