*[Enwl-eng] Here is the latest news from the Climate High-Level Champions! (14.11.25)
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UN Climate Change – Global Climate Action
14 November 2025
Top of the COP
Climate High-Level Champions'
Newsletter
The Energy and Industry Gap That's Been Holding Back Climate Action – And Why It's Finally Moving
News from energy and industry day at COP 30: UNEZA investments rise to USD 1 trillion for clean energy, grids and energy storage by 2030; “Belem 4x” pledge now has 23 countries on board, with more joining, to quadruple production and use of sustainable fuels by 2035; Declaration on Global Green Industrialization coordinates the transition of energy intensive sectors; and efforts to build a pathway to phase out fossil fuels gather pace.
Friday 14th November
Welcome to Top of the COP, a daily recap of the Climate Action Agenda highlights, brought to you by the Climate High-Level Champions.
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Driving the Day:
Two years ago at COP28, the first Global Stocktake of climate progress led nearly 200 countries to call for tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030. It marked real ambition – acknowledgment that transition is possible. Solar panels and wind turbines are getting cheaper and more efficient every year. The technology works. So why isn't the world on track?
Countries are building renewable energy faster than they can connect it to the grid. Right now, at least 3,000 GW of renewable projects – enough to power billions of homes – are sitting in connection queues, waiting years just to plug in. In the United States alone, the backlog is more than twice the size of the entire existing power system.
It's like manufacturing electric cars faster than building charging stations, or installing solar panels faster than wiring them into homes. The clean energy is ready, but the infrastructure to deliver it? Not even close.
To triple renewables by 2030, the world needs to add or upgrade 80 million kilometres of power grids. Countries need to deploy 1,500 GW of energy storage to manage the sun-doesn't-always-shine problem. And all this has to happen while current grid projects take 5-15 years to complete, compared to just 1-2 years for the solar and wind farms waiting to connect. Unfortunately, grid investments have stayed flat while renewable investments have doubled.
In response, 65 countries and 46 non-state actors, including the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA), endorsed the Global Energy Storage and Grids Pledge last year at COP 29, committing to deploy that 1,500 GW of storage and build 25 million kilometres of new grid infrastructure by 2030.
But grids are just one piece of the puzzle. Even with unlimited clean electricity, roughly one-third of global emissions come from sectors that can't easily electrify – aviation, shipping, steel, cement. These industries need sustainable fuels and entirely new production processes. They also need the infrastructure and market signals to make the economics work.
But here's the good news: the infrastructure is finally coming together. Today's announcements show the pieces falling into place: a trillion-dollar pipeline for grids and storage, a quadrupling of sustainable fuels by 2035, and developing countries leading the race on industrial decarbonisation.
Under Axis 1 of the Global Climate Action Agenda, and based on the gaps identified by the first Global Stocktake (the UN’s progress report on climate action) the foundations of a modern clean energy system are coming together at speed.
Which sets the stage for today's announcements.
USD 1 Trillion Pipeline for Clean Energy and Grids by 2030
The Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) – a coalition of the world’s leading utilities established at COP28 – today raised its annual investment target to USD 148 billion, up nearly 30% from USD 117 billion announced just last year. Now members will invest USD 66 billion per year in renewables and USD 82 billion in grids and storage. This acceleration directly supports the COP 29 Global Grids and Storage Pledge and the need to triple renewable power identified under the first Global Stocktake at COP 28.
All together, UNEZA members will invest around USD 1 trillion to expand clean energy, modernise global power grids and deploy energy storage by 2030.
But here's the reality: USD 148 billion per year is a major step forward, but it's not enough. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the world needs between USD 791-912 billion per year in grid investment between now and 2030 to meet system transformation needs. That's why UNEZA isn't just increasing its own investment – it's working with partners to unlock far more capital from other sources.
Grid financing principles, developed by the Green Grids Initiative and UNEZA and endorsed by the COP 30 Presidency under the ‘Plan to Accelerate the Expansion and Resilience of Power Grids’, are designed to mobilise climate and development finance for grids in emerging economies. These principles are already backed by major institutions including the Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, British International Investment, and Climate Bonds Initiative.
Already there are immediate plans to support grid development in emerging economies:
a.. The Asian Development Bank and World Bank announced USD 12.5 billion in combined financing to strengthen the ASEAN Power Grid.
b.. The Inter-American Development Bank launched the Power Transmission Acceleration Platform for Latin America and the Caribbean, with Germany committing EUR 15 million to support grid expansion and modernization. This includes funding for 16 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, known as RECLAC, targeting at least 80% renewable electricity by 2030".
Why this matters:
UNEZA members will more than triple their combined renewable energy capacity by 2030 compared with 2023 levels, while delivering tens of thousands of kilometres of new and upgraded grid infrastructure. Last year alone, UNEZA members built enough new grids to stretch from Belém to New Zealand, and enough new renewables capacity to meet half the peak demand of India. But to close the full investment gap, governments, multilateral development banks, and private investors must step up alongside utilities. The financing principles provide the framework to make that happen.
Speaking from Belém, Dan Ioschpe, COP 30 Climate High-Level Champion said: "We need to move beyond just building more wires to a systemic transformation. COP 28 set the goal to triple renewables. COP 29 acknowledged grids were the bottleneck. Now at COP 30, utilities and related infrastructure providers are putting forward a solid implementation plan with the resources to back it, creating the mechanisms for delivery."
Belem 4x Launched: Quadrupling Sustainable Fuels by 2035
Countries and companies launched the Belem Commitment for Sustainable Fuels (“Belem 4x”), pledging to quadruple production and use of sustainable fuels by 2035 for hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation, shipping, steel and cement. One month after its launch, the pledge has already been endorsed by 23 countries: Andorra, Armenia, Belarus, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Canada, Chile, Guatemala, Guinea, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Maldives, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Panama, the DPRK, Sudan, UAE, and Zambia.
But here's what makes this different from past pledges: it comes with a concrete plan for implementation. Led by the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), the plan focuses on three things: creating actual demand for sustainable fuels (not just aspirational goals), establishing transparent carbon accounting so investors know what they're buying, and building the physical infrastructure and trade corridors to move fuels at scale.
It is complemented by sector-specific efforts that in the past had been working in silos: the Hydrogen Breakthrough, the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Plans, Maritime Decarbonization Plans, and industrial decarbonisation initiatives, including Chemicals. Instead of each sector figuring out sustainable fuels on its own, they're now coordinating supply, demand, and infrastructure under one umbrella.
Real-world momentum is already visible: shipping-giant Maersk announced plans to operate 41 methanol-enabled vessels by 2027, including the first large dual-fuel retrofit, with offtake agreements for 500,000 tonnes of green methanol annually from 2026.
Andrew Hoare, Global Head of Marine Systems & Green Shipping at Fortescue commented on the announcement from aboard the Green Pioneer: “The Belém 4X Pledge recognises that the market for green fuels is here. The Green Pioneer, the world’s first ammonia-fuelled ship berthed here in Belém proves that zero emission shipping isn’t theory anymore, it’s happening”.
Why this matters:
The global economy will not reach net zero without transforming hard-to-abate sectors that drive roughly one-third of emissions. Today, sustainable fuels are moving from pilots to real markets: Shipowners have ordered an increasing number of zero-emission capable vessels, new mandates for Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) use are driving up production, and innovative financing mechanisms, such as intermediary markets, are derisking new fuel supply.
The Industrial Decarbonisation Race is Underway
Sustainable fuels solve the problem of powering ships and planes. But what about making the steel for those ships, or the cement for the airports they fly from? Heavy industry presents a different challenge: it's not just about finding clean fuel, it's about transforming entire production processes that have relied on coal and high heat for centuries.
That's where the third piece of today's announcements comes in.
The Belém Declaration on Global Green Industrialisation launched today provides a framework for countries, especially in developing economies, to place green industrialisation at the centre of their economic strategy.
Instead of treating heavy industry as a ‘hard-to-abate’ problem, the Declaration positions it as a driver of opportunity – bringing together industrial decarbonisation, new clean-technology markets, and inclusive economic growth under one coordinated approach.
The initiative is being driven by a core group of countries including Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa, with support from UNIDO, as well as industry and research partners. By creating a mechanism to align initiatives, track progress, and coordinate priority actions, the Belém Declaration establishes green industrialisation as a global priority. It also positions developing countries at the forefront of building clean industries – from green steel to solar PV cells.
Why this matters:
The Belém Declaration arrives just as the real economy is embracing green industrialisation: New analysis released ahead of COP30 by the Mission Possible Partnership reveals that globally USD 140 billion in finance for clean industrial projects is nearing final investment decisions, and 1,000 commercial-scale plants are now planned or operational. The same report finds that over a third of new projects identified are located in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies, representing a USD 2 trillion investment opportunity.
News In Brief
a.. Under the COP 30 Presidency and Climate Action Agenda, the efforts on implementation to build a pathway to overcome fossil fuels dependency is accelerating across multiple fronts. The Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) presented a Plan to Accelerate Solutions for countries developing coal transition roadmaps, while the Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance (BOGA) unveiled its plan to facilitate the managed phase-out of oil and gas production through producer-consumer dialogue and just transition support. Since 2021, Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETP) members have cut up to 78% of international public finance for fossil fuels – avoiding nearly USD 31 billion – and the Coalition on Phasing Out Fossil Fuel Incentives Including Subsidies (COFFIS) is advancing progress on subsidy phase-outs. Meanwhile, EFFECT presented a framework to facilitate collaboration between fossil fuel exporters and importers on transitioning away, including new pilots to put the approach into practice.
b.. Mission Efficiency, hosted by SEforALL, launched a new Energy Efficiency De-Risking Platform to connect investors with vetted project pipelines and reduce investment risk. The platform is part of a broader Plan to Accelerate Doubling Energy Efficiency by 2030, bringing together over 30 global partners. The initiative includes EUR 17.5 billion to support energy efficiency improvements by small and medium-sized European businesses, a EUR 20 million initiative to enhance energy efficiency across Africa’s industrial sector, and new appliance efficiency policies.
c.. Abra Group (which includes Gol, Avianca, and Wamos Air) and Sumitomo Corporation do Brasil have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the realisation of a Brazil-Japan Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM). This will pave the way for a long-term offtake agreement of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) between Abra and Sumitomo and accelerate the identification of industry solutions for decarbonisation in the air transport sector.
d.. The Latin America Clean Energy Coalition (LACEC) launched yesterday to accelerate corporate clean energy adoption and help the region triple renewables by 2030. Led by WRI Polsky Center with Global Renewables Alliance, GWEC, and RE100, the coalition connects companies, developers, financiers, and policymakers to unlock investment and advance breakthrough clean energy solutions.
For media enquires please contact: christineluby at climatechampions.team
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From: Global Climate Action <globalclimateaction at unfccc.int>
Date: пт, 14 нояб. 2025 г. в 19:18
Subject: Vladimir, here is the latest news from the Climate High-Level Champions!
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