Global Initiative for Nature, Grids, and Renewables (GINGR) launches at UNFCC COP28

Published 05 December 2023

The Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) proudly announce the launch of the Global Initiative for Nature, Grids, and Renewables (GINGR) at COP28. This initiative aims to empower governments, industries, and the financial sector to achieve their energy, climate, and biodiversity targets in a harmonious and timely manner.

GINGR seeks to accelerate the deployment of renewables and electricity grids while ensuring the protection and restoration of the natural environment. GINGR will provide tools and methodologies to measure efficacy of nature positive solutions and monitor and report progress towards agreed targets. GINGR will also collect and showcase best practices and provide capacity building to support efforts towards nature positive infrastructure development.

At COP28, speakers of the launch event, including governments worldwide, renewable industry stakeholders, and civil society organisations unanimously agreed on the imperative need to jointly achieve climate and biodiversity targets. GINGR was warmly welcomed as a pivotal initiative in realising this shared vision. Watch the event recording.

Dr Grethel Aguilar, Director General, IUCN said:
“It is vital that the transition to renewable energy systems contains protections for nature. That is why we need GINGR, to help ensure the transition helps and not harms the environment and contributes towards nature positive goals. We are proud to collaborate with the Renewables Grid Initiative in this work.”

Antonella Battaglini, CEO of RGI, said:
“RGI is proud to collaborate with IUCN. Together we are committed to develop metrics and tools to assess contributions towards nature positive goals from electricity grids, wind and solar energy infrastructure. We will do this together with all interested stakeholders, because this should be a collaborative and not a competitive effort. Together, we can be more efficient and robust and therefore contribute to faster energy, climate and biodiversity security.”

Photos

View all the photos from our conference in our Flickr gallery here.

“Renewable energies and biodiversity go hand in hand. In Belgium, we are building the world’s first energy island with consideration for marine life. The Princess Elisabeth Energy Island will be much more than an artificial island made of stacked concrete blocks; it will be an island that embraces life, respects nature, and contributes to enhancing biodiversity in the Belgian North Sea. This is achievable through intelligent adjustments to the island’s design, carried out in collaboration with nature conservation associations. Belgium hopes to lead the way so that many future infrastructure projects incorporate nature protection.”

“TenneT is committed to support grid development that follows a nature-positive approach. Nature is an essential theme under our sustainability strategy, and we find it essential to consider the impact of biodiversity when it comes to grid and renewable infrastructure development. We warmly welcome GINGR as an initiative that will support, enhance, and help monitor these efforts.”

Alan Croes

Head of System Outlook, Energy System Department

“After over 20 years of work in conservation, I am excited to have now access to unique electricity grid expertise through this alliance with RGI. Together we will demonstrate how to reconcile energy and nature globally.”

“You cannot do wind energy without thinking about nature. This initiative will help us define how to protect and enhance nature, when will build wind farms.”

“Statnett is committed to ramp up the grid development in Norway, while enhancing our capacity to responsibly manage environmental impacts, risks, and opportunities. Recognizing the interconnectedness of the climate and nature crises, it is imperative that we address the climate challenge in a nature positive manner. In this pursuit, we warmly welcome the GINGR framework as a promising initiative that will bolster our efforts to meet our environmental commitments, all while accelerating grid development.”

“50Hertz is committed to drive the urgently needed grid development while following a nature-inclusive approach. Climate and biodiversity crises are interlinked, and it is imperative to move from a single project approach to an overarching marine grid and nature portfolio, based on international cooperation on technical as well as on environmental solutions. That can help increasing the impact of positive measures and speeding-up individual grid projects. We warmly welcome GINGR as an initiative that will support, enhance and help monitor our efforts towards these goals.”