UNEP and Norway form 1 Gigaton Coalition

The Government of Norway and UNEP in collaboration with other partners have launched the 1 Gigaton Coalition at Lima Climate Change Conference.

The 1 Gigaton Coalition is a voluntary international framework, with participation open to both developed and developing countries as well as to intergovernmental organizations, the private sector and civil society.

Its goal is to increase efforts to measure and report reduced green house gas (GHG) emissions resulting from renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives and programs.

UNEP will coordinate the collection of data, produce an annual report, and together with partners will develop a measurement, reporting and verification methodology that is aligned with the requirements of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

“This year, governments engaged in the UNFCCC climate talks have looked closely at energy efficiency and renewable energy as two key areas with the greatest potential to curb greenhouse gas emissions before 2020, when the new, universal climate change agreement slated for Paris 2015 will take effect,” said Cristina Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC.

“The coalition announced today lends credible confidence to governments as they prepare to submit their contributions to the 2015 Paris agreement and design a crucial, long-term response to the challenge of climate change,” added Figueres.

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Image: UNFCC