The Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE) participated in the 7th Global Energy Efficiency Conference of the International Energy Agency (IEA), held in Denmark on June 8, 2022.
This was a space where immediate actions to promote energy efficiency, improve energy security and accelerate progress towards climate goals were presented.
In this instance the executive secretary of OLACDE, Alfonso Blanco, said that Latin America and the Caribbean contributes 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, “but is one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change.
Regarding energy efficiency in Latin America, he mentioned that it is not necessarily energy saving. “There is a gap in the development of our population that needs to be covered. The region is closing its economic and social gaps with a vision of sustainable development.”
He argued that energy efficiency should be state policy in each country, and reported that there are currently 15 Latin American countries with energy efficiency laws and others that are working on projects that promote it.
“It is necessary to unlock climate finance to emerging markets.”
He stressed that Latin America and the Caribbean have the great challenge of taking advantage of existing opportunities in terms of energy efficiency. He stressed that the capacity to reduce emissions through energy efficiency is immediate (…) “The opportunity for efficiency is today and the value of the reduction is weighed by the immediate capacity to act.”
The Executive Secretary shared the panel with the Minister of Energy of New Zealand, Megan Woods, the Minister of Energy of Nigeria, Goddy Jedy Agba and the High Commissioner for Energy of the European Union, Kadri Simson.
The panel was moderated by Dan Jorgensen, Minister of Energy of Denmark, and the conclusions were made by Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency.
