COP28 Side-event: Global energy transition and local realities: vulnerabilities, development, mitigation, trade-offs

Abstract

This side event is organized by ParisTech, through its Chair Prospective modeling for sustainable development directed by the Centre for Applied Mathematics (CMA) from Mines Paris – PSL and the Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement (CIRED), France.

Accelerating mitigation in the short-term faces a wide range of obstacles—e.g., institutional, political, or behavioral barriers, real or perceived high costs of transition, inequitable distribution of the costs and benefits across and within countries, lack of proper financing, lack of know-how or technology availability—thus creating a persistent gap between real action on the ground and global ambition. While it points to the existence of a wide range of affordable mitigation options, highlights ways to address barriers, and underlines the importance of articulating mitigation with a rethinking of development pathways, the work of the international research community—as summarized in the 2022 IPCC WGIII report—is not sufficient to inform transitions in the diversity of local contexts.

On RINGO Day at COP28, this event will come back on the challenges facing efficient and fair transition and propose elements for a research agenda for the coming years. It will particularly focus on energy, though other aspects of the transition will also be discussed, and on the question of cooperation in a World where regions and countries have very different research capacities.

• Mohamadou Fadel Diop, OXFAM Senegal
• Joana Portugal, COPPE/UFRJ, Brazil
• Charlène Barnet, CMA/Mines Paris – PSL, France
• Edi Assoumou, CMA/ Mines Paris – PSL, France
• Franck Lecocq, CIRED, France
• Amit Garg, IIMA, India (tbc)

This side event aims to provide a forum for high-quality exchanges to establish a dialogue between policymakers, experts and scientists. It will contribute to the reflection on the direction of public and private research strategies, in support of climate negotiations.