About 45 governments across the globe have endorsed the goal of doubling the average global rate of energy efficiency by the end of the decade.
   
The move is aimed at fostering sustainable economic growth and helping to put the world on a secure and affordable path toward net zero emissions.
   
The endorsement was made known in a ministerial statement at the International Energy Agency (IEA) 8th Global Conference on Energy Efficiency in Versailles, France, where governments across Africa, America, Asia and Europe highlighted the critical role that energy efficiency could play in improving living standards and energy security.
   
The statement noted that ramping up yearly energy efficiency progress from 2.2 per cent to over four per cent every year by 2030 in a move that would create jobs, expand energy access, reduce energy bills, decrease air pollution, and diminish countries’ reliance on fossil fuel imports among other social and economic benefits.
    
IEA Executive Director, Fatih Birol, said the public sector must be a role model for improving energy efficiency and driving investment that will encourage other sectors such as industry, services, buildings, transport and agriculture to follow.
   
“It’s hard to overstate the importance of energy efficiency for strengthening energy security and keeping the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 C within sight, so I’m delighted that countries from across the world are uniting around the IEA’s call to double energy efficiency progress by 2030,” Birol said.
   
The governments urged all parties and stakeholders taking part in the COP28 Climate Change Conference in Dubai later this year to raise their ambition and strengthen energy efficiency policy implementation in line with the Paris Agreement, which underscores that effective policies must be fully leveraged to encourage behaviour change among consumers and businesses, with targeted actions to support individuals, especially vulnerable and low-income households. 
  
“Digitalisation, demand-driven solutions and investments in modernising electricity grids were all identified as priorities that will lay the foundations for energy efficiency to feature in all areas of the clean energy transition,” the statement states
   
The participating ministers also stressed the importance of addressing energy poverty, promoting clean cooking, and tackling gender issues relating to energy.
   
Ministers agreed on the statement during a roundtable after the IEA Global Conference on Energy Efficiency, which convened over 600 participants from 90 countries, including over 30 ministers and 50 CEOs. Governments with official delegations at the event represented 70 per cent of global energy consumption.