UN Secretary-General António Guterres has issued a global roadmap to accelerate the implementation of SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. 

The Global Roadmap for Accelerated SDG 7 Action in Support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was released as a “forward-looking summary” of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy, which took place at the summit level on 24 September 2021. It was released on 3 November on the sidelines of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26). 

The Roadmap recalls that over 130 Heads of State and Government, high-level representatives, and multi-stakeholder leaders took part in the High-level Dialogue on Energy, which was the first summit-level meeting on energy in 40 years under the auspices of the UN General Assembly. 

The Roadmap calls for action to: close the energy access gap; rapidly transition to decarbonized energy systems; mobilize adequate and predictable finance; leave no one behind on the path to a net zero future; and harness innovation, technology, and data. 

To achieve these objectives, the Global Roadmap sets out milestones for 2025 and 2030. By 2025, it suggests achieving the following: 

• 500 million more people have gained access to electricity. 
• 1 billion more people have gained access to clean cooking solutions.
• Annual investment in access to electricity increased to USD35 billion and in access to clean cooking increased to USD25 billion. 
• 100% increase in modern renewables capacity globally.
• Double annual investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency globally. 
• No new coal power plans in the pipeline after 2021.
• Fossil fuel consumption subsidies re-directed towards renewable energy and energy efficiency.
• 30 million jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

By 2030, it suggests achieving the following:

• Universal access to electricity and clean cooking solutions.
• Triple global renewable power capacity. 
• Double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency. 
• Triple annual investment for renewable energy and energy efficiency globally. 
• Phase out coal power plans within the OECD by 2030 and globally by 2040. 
• 60 million jobs in renewable energy and energy efficiency. 
• Universal access to electricity in all healthcare facilities and all schools worldwide.

Among the partnerships highlighted as key elements for achieving this transformation are Energy Compacts, which were launched alongside the High-Level Dialogue on Energy. Energy Compacts announced prior to and during the Dialogue included over USD400 billion in new finance and investment for clean energy as part of voluntary commitments.

The Roadmap also suggests the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and other relevant intergovernmental platforms, including on biodiversity, climate change, food systems, ocean, science, technology and innovation, transport, and water, should be leveraged to accelerate SDG 7 action. [Press Release on launch of Global Roadmap][IISD ENB coverage of the High-Level Dialogue on Energy]