PARIS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The International Energy Agency (IEA) held its 2024 Ministerial Conference and the 50th anniversary of its establishment in Paris, France, from February 13 to 14, focusing on topics such as maintaining energy security, accelerating the clean energy transition, and deepening international cooperation in energy.
Solar panels installed on the roof of a residential home in Berlin, Germany, January 4, 2024. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Ren Pengfei.
During the meeting, the International Energy Agency issued a communiqué saying that global energy security faces ongoing threats and that energy security should be ensured and energy efficiency improved; The clean energy transition should be accelerated in an effort to limit global temperature rise to 1 above pre-industrial levelstargets within 5 degrees Celsius; The development of clean energy markets and financing should be promoted.
The communiqué said the IEA would continue to be prepared to tackle energy-related challenges – climate change, pollution and biodiversity loss, which constitute a triple global crisis. The consequences of climate change are already evident today, underscoring the urgency of accelerating the clean energy transition.
The meeting also mandated the IEA to deepen its cooperation with major emerging economies, including initiating discussions with India on the latter's application for full membership in the IEA. In addition, the IEA also announced the establishment of a regional cooperation center in Singapore to strengthen ties with the Southeast Asian region.
Fatih Birol, Director General of the International Energy Agency, said that at this meeting, countries appreciated the leadership role played by the International Energy Agency on energy and climate issues over the past 50 years, and hoped that the agency would exert greater influence in the future. The IEA will redouble its efforts to promote the fight against climate change in the energy sector and work to ensure global energy security**.