Scaling Up Energy Efficiency UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre

Problem: Chile is pursuing plans and investment strategies to implement district energy systems in cities and regions across the country. The overall aim of the initiative is to improve well-being in urban communities currently dealing with severe air pollution, as well as to fulfil part of the country’s commitment to the Paris Agreement by decarbonizing heating.

Key message: Replacing outdated and unhealthy heating systems with district energy simultaneously tackles local public health concerns and global carbon emissions reductions, yet various practical barriers to doing so require a new approach to designing and financing project investments. This podcast discusses the application of UNEP-CCC’s investment bundling methodology to enable a demand-side shift in clean and low-carbon energy systems.

Speakers: Vanja Elizabeth Wylie, Javier Piedra Fierro
Support: Aristeidis Tsakiris
https://c2e2.unepccc.org/kms_object/district-heating-and-energy-efficiency-in-chile-an-example-of-project-bundling-in-practice-podcast/

Problem:
Today’s podcast will explore the application and use of carbon footprint calculations, that is GHG accounting and lifecycle analysis, with Vanja Wylie. In today’s talk, we will discuss, among others, how to GHG accounting can inform decisions on energy efficiency.

Key message:
Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a systematic, standardised approach to quantifying a product's or system's potential environmental impacts. GHG Accounting is more narrow in its assessment of environmental impacts in that it quantifies the total greenhouse gases produced directly and indirectly from a business or organisation’s activities. Both are increasingly popular among financial and other organisations in making informed decisions on the sustainability of investment portfolios. Data gaps aggravate this and are particularly pertinent in developing countries, but solutions exist. In making decisions on energy efficiency, especially in weighing options, GHG accounting can help take a full lifecycle perspective that accounts not just for energy performance and operational carbon but also material and production carbon intensity and what is referred to as embodied carbon.

Speakers: Elisabeth Resch, Vanja Elizabeth Wylie
Support: Aristeidis Tsakiris
https://c2e2.unepccc.org/kms_object/informed-decision-making-on-portfolio-decarbonisation-using-ghg-accounting-and-lifecycle-analysis-podcast/

Problem:
Energy efficiency can enable more than 40% of the required GHG reductions to achieve global climate goals without requiring new technology breakthroughs. Improved energy efficiency has the potential to create new jobs, foster innovation, improve the productive use of electricity -i.e., cooling, clean cooking, lighting, heating, mobility, etc.- and boost economic growth.
Energy efficiency is the fastest and most cost-effective way to reduce fossil fuel demand and build a cleaner and more resilient energy future. Yet, global energy efficiency has not improved at the pace needed to achieve the goals.

Key message:
How to raise the profile of Energy Efficiency as the main solution for achieving Net Zero or, more simplistically, how to make “Energy Efficiency move from the boiler room to the board room”.

Speakers: Gabriela Prata Dias, Toby Morgan
Support: Aristeidis Tsakiris
https://c2e2.unepdtu.org/kms_object/financing-energy-efficiency-investments-podcast/

Problem:
It is a critical time for energy efficiency. Despite its recognised importance, improvements have fallen short of expectations. Energy efficiency increase amounted to only around 2% per year between 2011 and 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic further hit energy efficiency efforts hard. In 2020, improvements were estimated to be only 0.8%, which is substantially lower than the SDG target of 2.6% per year. The International Energy Agency finds that progress on energy efficiency globally recovered in 2021 to a pre-pandemic pace but remained well short of what would be needed to help put the world on track to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century.
The inadequate improvements stem from insufficient energy efficiency investments, despite the ostensibly strong business case for energy efficiency. While wind and solar power investments have increased substantially, energy efficiency investments have not grown at an equal pace. Global investments in energy efficiency have not risen significantly in recent years.

Key message:
A path towards reaching net zero emissions by 2050 requires total annual investment in energy efficiency worldwide to triple by 2030. Financing energy efficiency investments must be feasible and include a broad set of instruments, including equity-based financing.

Speakers: Elisabeth Resch, Alexander Ablaza
Support: Aristeidis Tsakiris
https://c2e2.unepdtu.org/kms_object/financing-energy-efficiency-investments-podcast/

Problem:
There is a fundamental disconnect between the finance community and energy efficiency. The Mission Efficiency Financing Charette was convened to undo this disconnect. The charette brought together two groups: the world’s finance community (private sector, development banks, philanthropic organisations, climate finance facilities, etc.) and the projects and initiatives.

Key message:
To address current gaps and facilitate commitments to work together to redefine investing in energy efficiency projects and launch an energy efficiency market readiness initiative at COP27.

Speakers: Gabriela Prate Dias, Steven Kukoda, Brian Dean
Support: Aristeidis Tsakiris
https://c2e2.unepdtu.org/kms_object/energy-efficiency-financing-podcast/

Problem:
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) could help address climate concerns and enable the much-needed shift toward a circular economy (CE). The ICTs could also contribute to global carbon emissions and generate waste during its production, usage and obsolescence phases. What type of collaborations do we need to address sustainable ICT development?

Key message:
Climate change actions and digitalisation movement should influence each other and at the strategy level, digitalisation should address energy and environmental concerns to lay down a green recovery and low carbon development path. An environmental responsibility mind-set amongst stakeholders, including the ICT sector, policy makers, citizens and academia is needed to form concerted and timely actions.

Speakers: Malcolm Johnson, Xiao Wang
Support: Aristeidis Tsakiris
https://c2e2.unepdtu.org/kms_object/sustainable-ict-development-and-the-role-of-itu-digigreen-ep-1-podcast/