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Energy

With the energy sector accounting for almost three quarters of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions, shifts to clean, renewable sources are critical to solving the climate crisis.

The benefits of moving away from fossil fuels go beyond addressing climate change. The energy transition is an economic opportunity that could create millions of jobs for women and men. At the same time, renewables have the potential to deliver universal access to energy, which supports the achievement of nearly every other Sustainable Development Goal, from good health and wellbeing to reducing inequality to women’s empowerment and decent work and economic growth.

The speed and scale of the renewable energy revolution holds the promise of not only reducing carbon emissions but offering energy access to millions.

We are on the cusp of an energy revolution, with many governments looking closely at how they can seize the opportunities.

Enabling the large-scale clean energy investments needed to power a just transition will be key.

The good news is that energy is now a priority in many countries’ climate action plans. And there is momentum to do more. Approximately 95% of submitted NDCs from Climate Promise countries have standalone or detailed sections on energy targets or policies, 34% of which include references to gender or women. Further, Climate Promise countries focus not just on energy transition, but also include energy access and resilience as opportunities for advancing climate action.

UNDP is ramping up its energy work to support these countries to realize their ambitions, and has pledged to mobilize the UN system, countries, businesses, civil society, and financial institutions to bring clean, affordable, and reliable energy to 500 million people by 2025.

Latest Updates

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Effective mitigation is our only way to slow down climate change. We explain how it works and how it can be amplified.
Inclusive transition to clean energy benefits people and the planet in Malawi.
In the era of 'global boiling', optimizing energy efficiency in buildings is becoming indispensable. Here are six lessons.

Latest Publications

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A progress report on the Japan-funded project being implemented in 23 countries and territories under the Climate Promise initiative.