Third, IRENA will be based in a developing country, a vote of confidence in the quality, institutional expertise, and dynamism that exists in the developing world. Moreover, a headquarters in Abu Dhabi sends an unequivocal message that promoting renewable energy is not “anti-oil.” Fossil fuels will be with us for some time to come, and we should continuously seek out cleaner ways to use them.
At the same time, we must face the facts: Fossil fuels will not last forever and some supplies may dwindle soon. So let’s plan for the inevitable, and develop the relevant policies, technologies, and institutional infrastructure as soon as possible.
IRENA may not be a component of the UN system, but it should be regarded as part of the family from the outset. A lesson we have learned from both the climate change debate on the way to the December summit in Copenhagen and from the economic crisis is that only by working together can we achieve genuine change.
In a sense, that change has now arrived. IRENA is solid proof that our world has the will to turn away from the carbon-clogged past and to fuel a clean, prosperous future that both developed and developing countries can enjoy.
Kandeh Yumkella is director-general of the UN Industrial Development Organization. COPYRIGHT: PROJECT SYNDICATE
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