10 December 2014: The UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with support from the Government of Norway, launched a coalition to promote the expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency in climate change mitigation efforts. The ‘1 Gigaton Coalition’ is so named because it is believed that emission reductions from renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts could deliver annual savings of 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per year by 2020.

These emission reductions, however, are currently underreported in most countries. In order to achieve target reductions there is a need for an expanded evidence base on the contribution of renewable energy and energy efficiency to emission reduction targets. To this end, the coalition will identify success stories and highlight their achievements in order to encourage broader uptake of such approaches. Success stories are seen as a way to bolster the case for ambitious initiatives, such as a global switch to energy efficient appliances that could reduce electricity consumption by 10% and avoid 1.25 billion tonnes of CO2e per year.

Activities to be carried out through the voluntary coalition include the development of a measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) framework for energy efficiency and renewable energy; the collection of data on achieved emission reductions; and the production of an annual report on progress towards the 1 gigaton target.

Participation in the coalition is open to government agencies and intergovernmental organizations as well as the private sector and civil society. [UNEP Press Release] [Publication: Framework for the 1 Gigaton Coalition]