Thematic Event "Global Energy Interconnection: Driving Synergies between Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Development" Held at COP30

2025-11-18

On November 14 (local time), the thematic event "Global Energy Interconnection: Driving Synergies between Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Development" took place in Belém, Brazil, the host city of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30). The event was organized by the Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization (GEIDCO), and co-organized by the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE), and other institutions. The event aimed to promote the development of the Global Energy Interconnection (GEI), accelerate the transition to clean energy worldwide, and foster synergy between emission reduction and development across countries. More than 100 guests from over 30 organizations worldwide, including senior representatives from UN agencies, governments, and international organizations, attended the event in person.

Mr. Xin Baoan, Chairman of GEIDCO and President of the China Electricity Council, delivered an address at the event. Mr. Liu Zhenmin, China's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Mr. Gustavo Cerqueira Ataíde, National Secretary for Energy Planning and Transition at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, Brazil, Ms. Noura Hamladji, UN ASG and Deputy Executive Secretary of UNFCCC, Mr. Zou Ciyong, Deputy to the Director General of UNIDO and the Managing Director of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Industrial Development, Ms. Rana Adib, Executive Director of REN21, and Mr. Stefano Marguccio, Deputy CEO of Sustainable Energy for All, attended the event and delivered keynote speeches. Mr. Wu Xuan, Secretary General, GEIDCO, and Ms. Maria Misovicova, Head of Resource Mobilization and Partnerships, UNFCCC, gave closing remarks.

Mr. Xin Baoan pointed out that climate change has become one of the most serious challenges to sustainable development. Despite great efforts made by many countries, the current progress still fall short of the Paris Agreement targets. Global carbon emissions continue to reach new highs. The average global temperature has already risen by 1.55°C above pre-industrial levels, and could exceed 3°C by the end of this century—causing irreversible and catastrophic impacts. GEIDCO has long been advancing GEI—a new energy system that is clean energy-dominated, electricity-centered, interconnected, and smart. GEIDCO aims to promote large-scale clean energy development, transmission, and utilization worldwide, offering a practical and replicable solution for accelerating clean and low-carbon transition and advancing global emission reduction and coordinated development.

Mr. Xin Baoan stated that to overcome this challenge, we must break the long-standing dependence on fossil fuels and firmly follow the path of clean development. First, we need to establish a low-carbon and zero-carbon energy system across the energy production, consumption, and distribution. Second, we should focus on key areas such as new energy, advanced energy storage, digital-intelligent resilient power grids, and coordinated development of power source, grid, load, and storage to enhance green economic momentum. Third, we need to strengthen policy coordination among nations and deepen cooperation in energy trade and industrial capacity to deepen energy and climate cooperation.

Mr. Liu Zhenmin stated that building the GEI and advancing the green, low-carbon transition is an endeavor that benefits all humanity, and requires the joint efforts of governments, international organizations, and corporate entities. Mr. Gustavo Cerqueira Ataíde stated that Brazil is ready to collaborate with GEIDCO and other partners, share experiences, and work together to promote a secure, renewable, and interconnected future energy system. Ms. Noura Hamladji stated that the GEI has developed into a worldwide endeavor, attracting extensive participation from governments, research institutions, utilities, and international organizations. The vision of GEIDCO is being continuously realized through regional and even global cooperation frameworks. Mr. Zou Ciyong stated that UNIDO will continue to support all countries in building low-carbon industries and clean energy systems. It is willing to work with governments, financial institutions, the private sector, and civil society to make the GEI an important driving force for achieving synergies between climate mitigation and sustainable development. Ms. Rana Adib expressed her hope to continue cooperating with GEIDCO in communication, outreach, event organization, and capacity building, to promote constructive collaboration among different networks and turn ambition into concrete action.

The event released the report titled Global Energy Interconnection: Driving Synergies between Climate Mitigation and Sustainable Development. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the current dilemma faced by countries where development and emission reduction goals often conflict, and proposes new ideas and solutions for using GEI to foster synergy between emission reduction and development. The report indicates that using GEI as a fundamental platform can promote synergy between emission reduction and development. It recommends systematic implementation of major actions across five key areas: reliable substitution with new energy, further electrification, digital-intelligent resilient power grids, coordinated energy industry development, and resource recycling and ecological governance. These initiatives aim to achieve "three decouplings": decoupling energy from carbon emission, economy from emissions, and resource input from ecological degradation, thereby unlocking the "triple benefits" of low carbon, industrial growth, and ecological improvement. This strategy provides enduring green momentum to help nations strengthen their emission reduction ambitions. The report maintains that the key to aligning global emission reduction with development is to achieve synergy between "emissions reduction during development" and "development enabled by emissions reduction." The GEI-based climate mitigation and sustainable development approach facilitates the creation of a new energy system by restructuring the energy sector, transforming economic growth drivers, and realizing ecological value. This approach systematically delivers triple benefits—low carbon, industrial growth, and ecological improvement—offering comprehensive solutions for global challenges, including tackling the climate crisis, promoting inclusive growth, and ensuring ecological security and energy equity.

During the event, Ms. Lanre Shasore, Senior Advisor for Africa of SEforALL, Mr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate Change, and Green Growth, African Development Bank (AfDB), Mr. Elkin Velasquez Monsalve, Regional Director of UN Habitat in Latin America and the Caribbean, Ms. Sonia Dunlop, CEO of Global Solar Council, Ms. Gloria Alvarenga, Director of Integration, Access and Energy Security, OLADE, Mr. Derek Baraldi, Head of Sustainable Finance, World Economic Forum (WEF), and other experts shared industry insights and in-depth perspectives on the decade-long contributions and progress of the GEI Initiative, newly released research findings, green finance, and related topics. The participants recognized that the tenth anniversary of the GEI Initiative also marks a decade of accelerated global energy transition. The GEI concept is well aligned with Africa's sustainable development strategies, as it not only addresses the continent's low renewable energy utilization but also transforms renewable energy advantages into economic benefits through electricity transmission to Europe. Furthermore, energy interconnection projects can effectively mitigate the energy shortages currently facing some countries in Central and South America. Green finance will play a vital role in the rapid development of renewable energy. At present, global collaboration remains essential to establish and refine standards for renewable energy project classification and creditworthiness ratings. China has played a major role in driving down global solar power generation costs. Today, the country's seven largest solar manufacturers are supplying an ever-increasing amount of clean energy worldwide. The newly proposed concept of "three decouplings" in the latest research released by GEIDCO provides valuable insights and guidance for national energy planning, especially for urban energy strategies.

As the first international energy organization initiated and established by China, GEIDCO has held six consecutive high-level thematic events at the UN Climate Change Conference since its inception, released research findings, promoted the inclusion of GEI in the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and actively contributed to collaborative global governance in energy, climate, and environment.

Source: GEIDCO Official Website