RGI on the Global Climate Strike: Urgent action necessary to reach Paris climate targets

The Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI) admires the courage and determination of millions of young and other people around the globe to fight climate change and preserve livelihood and peace on our planet. The scale of mobilisation within the youth and across society offers an unprecedented opportunity to accelerate global efforts to phase out fossil fuels in line with the Paris Agreement.

RGI’s Members, consisting of transmission system operators (TSOs) and NGOs from across Europe, are very concerned about the overarching threats posed by rapidly growing global warming impacts and are committed to supporting the full decarbonisation of our economies by 2050 latest.

In this respect RGI urges national and regional decision makers:

·      to quickly develop the necessary energy infrastructure to enable and accommodate massive shares of variable renewable energy sources in particular wind and solar,

·      to recognise and embrace the significant synergies between well-planned new energy infrastructure and nature protection,

·      to foster collaborative efforts to identify and deliver benefits for the local communities where infrastructure projects are realised,

·      to legislate stronger political commitments and supportive measures that can deliver a climate-neutral integrated energy system.

Moreover, RGI confirms that it is possible and safe to run a power system based on renewable energy sources, provided that the necessary measures and flexibility tools are put in place and that sufficient grid infrastructure is built.   

Finally, RGI Secretariat and its members across Europe are keen to share knowledge about the changing power system, the available options and the challenges we face while we decarbonise. Only if we fully understand what the challenges are, can we jointly find solutions that are economically viable, environmentally sound and able to be quickly deployed, thus providing a real contribution to minimising emissions and combatting climate change.

RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the LIFE Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.