New Delhi: The G7 countries are currently targeting to double their 2022 renewable capacity to 2 terawatts by 2030, falling significantly short of the 2.7 terawatts needed to meet the tripling target set at last year’s COP28, according to Ember’s 2030 Global Renewable Target Tracker.
“Tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030 is the largest single action this decade to cut emissions and keep the 1.5C goal within reach. Currently, the G7 commitments will only achieve a doubling,” the report said.
The upcoming G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy, and Environment in Italy, from April 28-30, is seen as a critical opportunity for these countries to align their goals with the global commitment. Among the G7, Germany, the UK, and Italy have targets that exceed a doubling of their 2022 capacities. France and Japan, however, have set their sights well below the required tripling. The U.S. and Canada rely on implicit targets derived from official modeling studies.
“Every G7 country is installing wind and solar at scale, but the aggregate targets fall short of what is required,” a Climate Analytics representative remarked. “The median scenario from our recent report shows a 3.1 times increase in renewable capacity for the OECD region, which can serve as a proxy for the G7, suggesting that a tripling of G7 capacity is both necessary and achievable.”
The collective G7 effort currently leaves a gap of 0.7 TW from the 2.7 TW needed. “This gap must be closed if we are to maintain global temperature rise within 1.5 degrees Celsius,” it added.
The report emphasizes that while some countries are ahead, others are lagging, necessitating a unified push towards greater renewable energy adoption.
