On January 19, Greening the Islands (GTI) Foundation organised two sessions at Circle the Med – the Mediterranean Forum 2024, a renowned platform for discussing sustainability in the region.
The first session focused on the energy transition in the Mediterranean (MED), exploring how islands can supercharge it through their strategic role as crossroads for climate diplomacy and adaptation, energy exchanges, and international cooperation.
As the world needs to triple renewable energy capacity to 11 Terawatts (TW) by 2030 – a global target spearheaded by the Global Renewables Alliance (GRA) and International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) that was included in the final text of COP28 – a regional objective of 1 TW emerged as feasible for the MED.
From the preliminary talks at Circle the Med, the GTI Foundation will bring the discussion forward with the Union for the Mediterranean to the Our Ocean Conference later in 2024.
During the session, Greening the Islands announced the launch of a dedicated task force within the GTI Observatory to engage islands and relevant stakeholders in contributing to the MED’s energy transition, and champion the region as a green hub for renewables and circular economy.
The speakers that took part in the event organised by GTI at Circle the MED will be the first members of the group, which will be dedicated to analysing challenges and identifying opportunities for islands to advance their renewable energy capacity, originating studies and recommendations for policymakers to accelerate the regional transition.
“The task force on the Mediterranean will bring the debate on a stable and structured footing to help accelerate the regional energy transition, showcasing how islands can lead the way in the race to 100% renewables”, said Gianni Chianetta, Chair of Greening the Islands Foundation. “I am glad for the successful first step in the MED for our 100% RES Islands Initiative, a global journey involving islands around the world to create case studies for fully renewable systems”.
