Civil Society Groups Call On Governments To Address Appliance Energy Efficiency At COP26

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Improving the energy efficiency of everyday appliances and equipment will be critical on the path to net zero emissions by 2050. Just four appliances — air conditioners, industrial motor systems, lighting, and refrigerators — are responsible for 40% of global electricity consumption.

Recognizing this opportunity, the Super-Efficient Equipment & Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative, the Government of the United Kingdom Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and CLASP have launched the Product Efficiency Call to Action (Call to Action), which aims to double the efficiency of those four appliances by 2030.

Now, a growing network of 20 civil society and environmental organizations are calling on governments to sign the Call to Action in advance of COP26. Supporting organizations include: The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, University of Birmingham, Climate Analytics, the Climate Group Initiative EP100, Carbon Trust, Energy Saving Trust, the European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, E3G, Future of Cooling Programme at the University of Oxford, Green Alliance, RMI, Sustainable Energy for All, UNIDO, United Nations Environment Programme, United 4 Efficiency, and World Wide Fund for Nature.

By endorsing the Call to Action, these groups hope to garner the groundswell of support needed to raise the ambition of climate change commitments, which currently fall short of the 1.5 degree Celsius target of the Paris Agreement. The recent Energy Transition Commission study, Keeping 1.5 Alive, emphasizes how critical appliance efficiency is to this task.
“Global support of the Call to Action would cut global electricity demand by 30,000 TWh and avoid 13 Gt of CO2 emissions cumulatively through 2030,” says Dan Hamza Goodacre of the UK Department of Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. “These savings are equivalent to the generation of over 1,500 coal-fired power plants and would lower consumers’ energy bills by USD 3.75 trillion.”

The Call to Action has the potential to be the largest energy efficiency commitment in history, a record currently held by the Global Lighting Challenge. To date, 10 governments have signed the Call to Action, with more endorsements expected in advance of COP26 in November.

“The European Union and United Kingdom represent nearly 40% of high-energy using product exports globally. Pledges to double product efficiency by 2030 are a welcome and critical step towards eliminating emissions in the Race to Zero. More governments must sign up to this Call to Action or risk placing the global energy transition on thin ice,” said Larissa Gross, Research Manager at E3G, an independent European climate change think tank.

The opportunities for emissions reductions are largest among SEAD Initiative members, which include China, India, the European Union, Brazil, and others. Endorsing civil society organizations see a key moment for member governments to cement their commitment to a net zero future, and a timely window of opportunity for non-SEAD members to join a broad coalition of governments committed to advancing proven climate policies.

“The US standards for refrigerators, electric motors, air conditioners and lighting are all overdue for updates. By joining the Call to Action, the United States can tell the world it’s ready to do its part by making sure these everyday products don’t waste energy,” said Andrew deLaski, Executive Director of the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

The Call to Action is open to all governments. Interested parties do not have to be a SEAD Initiative member to join. To learn more, visit here. If you are interested in joining the list of endorsing civil society and environmental organizations, please contact CLASP.


About the SEAD Initiative: The Super-efficient Equipment and Appliance Deployment (SEAD) Initiative is a voluntary collaboration among governments working to promote the manufacture, purchase, and use of energy-efficient appliances, lighting, and equipment worldwide. SEAD is an initiative under the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM).

About UK BEIS: The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) brings together responsibilities for business, industrial strategy, science, innovation, energy, and climate change. The Department is in charge of developing and delivering a comprehensive industrial strategy and leading the Government’s relationships with businesses, along with securing affordable and clean energy supplies to the country. In particular, it deals also with ensuring cutting-edge research, science and innovation within UK.

About the IEA: The International Energy Agency (IEA) is at the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing authoritative analysis, data, policy recommendations, and real-world solutions to help countries provide secure and sustainable energy for all. It is the global authority for energy data, analysis and policy advice. The IEA also facilitates the exchange of knowledge through its training programs, workshops, and research collaborations, and works to support energy efficiency globally with partners and at key global fora such as the G7 and G20. The IEA helps governments unlock the vast potential of energy efficiency, advising them on developing, implementing and measuring the impacts of policies.

About CLASP: CLASP serves at the epicentre of collaborative, ambitious efforts to mitigate climate change and in the global movement for clean energy access, through appliance efficiency. CLASP works hand-in-hand with governments, experts, industry, consumers, donor organizations and others to propel policies and markets toward the highest-quality, lowest resource-intensive products possible. CLASP has worked in more than 100 countries since its inception in 1999.


Alexia Ross, CLASP, aross@clasp.ngo


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