International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is a global organization established to facilitate and accelerate the transition to renewable energy sources worldwide. Officially founded on January 26, 2009, in Bonn, Germany, IRENA emerged from a collective belief among member states that renewable energy is vital for meeting increasing global energy demands while mitigating the adverse effects of fossil fuel reliance on human health and the environment. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, IRENA not only advocates for the adoption of renewable technologies such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy, but also aims to support sustainable economic growth, job creation, and energy access, particularly in marginalized communities.
As of 2022, IRENA has garnered support from 168 member states, including the European Union, although notable absences such as China highlight the challenges of global cooperation in this field. The agency emphasizes the importance of sustainable energy practices to ensure environmental preservation and climate protection. Additionally, IRENA aims to foster international collaboration, providing member states the necessary tools and knowledge to develop effective renewable energy policies. Through its initiatives, IRENA aspires to promote peace and understanding globally while championing sustainable development and low-carbon economies.
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International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Summary: The International Renewable Energy Agency was created for the express purpose of enabling rapid transitions to renewable energy worldwide. It is the world’s first global renewable energy agency.
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) was created by member states that believe that renewable energy is needed to meet growing global energy demands, that reliance on fossil fuels is detrimental to human and environmental health, that renewable energies can be the foundation for sustainable economic growth, and that such energy can provide needed services to decentralized rural communities, particularly in remote and marginalized communities.
IRENA was officially established on January 26, 2009, in Bonn, Germany. Of the 125 delegations that attended the founding conference, 75 states signed the statue that ultimately created IRENA. As of 2022, 168 states and the European Union have signed the Statute of the Agency, which gives IRENA the mandate to act as a global voice in the promotion and adoption of renewable energies. However, like any United Nations agency or agreement, being a signatory of a statute does not equate with ratifying it. However, as of 2022, the vast majority of the 168 signees had ratified IRENA and become member states.
IRENA’s headquarters are located at Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. In Abu Dhabi, a planned city, Masdar City, is currently under development and is designed to be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city and will be home to a global center for clean energy development and research. By placing IRENA’s headquarters in the first carbon-neutral city, the agency is demonstrating its commitment to the possibility of a renewable energy future and sustainable urban design, both in word and in practice. The planned IRENA custom-built headquarters in Masdar City is designed to be the world’s first positive-energy, multiuse office building.
Mission and Purpose
IRENA is the first international agency that focuses exclusively on renewable energies for the global community—both for industrialized and for developing countries. The goal is to help nations achieve sustainable development through renewable energy that will stimulate economic growth, create employment, and increase access to energy services while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, stabilizing climate, and securing energy futures. IRENA’s mission is to help humanity arrive at a sustainable future through renewable energy and the creation of low-carbon economies. In its mission to promote widespread use and adoption of all forms of renewable energies, IRENA will also consider national priorities and benefits, environmental preservation, climate protection, poverty alleviation, local and regional sustainable development, and energy security.
Renewable energies identified by IRENA include bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean energy, solar energy, and wind energy. Such sources must be used in a sustainable manner in addition to being renewable. IRENA will provide member states with the knowledge, technology, and support they need to create renewable energy policies and applications while networking with other government and nongovernment agencies working in the relevant fields to avoid duplicating efforts. Renewable energy, poverty alleviation, and environmental protection are not IRENA’s only goals; IRENA also seeks to promote peace and understanding through global dissemination and access to sustainable, renewable energies.
Member States
Any state that is a member of the United Nations, as well as any regional intergovernmental economic integration organization, is eligible to become a member of IRENA. As of 2022, 168 states and the European Union had signed IRENA’s statute. Although ratification by individual signatory states can be a lengthy process, China is a notable omission, having neither signed nor ratified. China is both a significant contributor to greenhouse gases and a major producer of renewable energy technologies. Member states include the United States, most Western European nations (with a notable exception in the United Kingdom, which remains only a signatory), Australia, Japan, India, and several African nations.
Bibliography
Bahgat, Gawdat. Energy Security: An Interdisciplinary Approach. Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley, 2011.
"Creation of IRENA." International Renewable Energy Agency, 2022, www.irena.org/About/History/Creation-of-IRENA. Accessed 2 Aug. 2024.
"International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)." International Atomic Energy Agency, 2024, www.iaea.org/about/partnerships/irena. Accessed 2 Aug. 2024.
International Renewable Energy Agency, EUROSOLAR, and World Council for Renewable Energy. The Long Road to IRENA: From the Idea to the Foundation of the International Renewable Energy Agency; Documentation, 1990–2009. Bochum, Germany: Ponte Press, 2009.