Deputy Director Eliza Mayo, one of our representatives at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, shares her impressions from Monday, November 18th, at COP29 in Azerbaijan.
To what extent can communities be a key to just transition and climate action for resilience? What is the connection between local climate action and national or international policy?
Much of the Arava Institute’s applied research and development projects are community based, especially in off-grid rural communities of our region. A panel, hosted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), an intergovernmental organization, I attended on Monday at COP29 discussed the benefits and challenges of community energy projects.
Moderated by Dr. Karunamoorthy Neethimani, a member of the Strategy Committee at the World Wind Energy Association, panelists discussed the social, economic and climate benefits of community energy projects. Energy for communities is not an end in itself, but rather a means to a virtuous cycle of development for social services, economic sustainability, and more.
Ayu Abdullah, the Managing Director of Comet spoke about the need to integrate data access for the public into energy policy processes to encourage community engagement. This helps propel investment in the communities.
Siraz Hirani, Senior Programme Management Specialist of the Mahila Housing Trust, India, spoke about the need for community projects for urban poor neighborhoods. A family with very low energy access and costs cannot afford initial investments in roof top solar units, for example. India has a strong policy supporting roof top solar, but not community implementation. As a result, the policy mainly supports solar for the middle and upper classes.
Dr. Rebekah Shirley, Deputy Director, of the World Resources Institute Africa in Kenya, discussed examples of community ownership expediting rural communities transitions in off-grid locations, which is critical for climate resilience.
Barbel Heidebroek, President of the German Wind Energy Association, referenced the positive policy environment in Germany for community projects which channels funds from the projects back into the community.
Gaps for successful community energy implementation include technical skills, data and information access, poor national policy infrastructure, and finance gaps. Given the Arava Institute’s strong involvement in off-grid and community based systems for water, wastewater, and energy, I asked about the connection between this decentralized, local approach and macro policy. Not surprisingly, national and international policy matters. Policies that are protective of the status quo and business as usual often work to protect utility companies. Taxation and import duties on equipment may be seen by governments as income streams, but if opened up, then increased well-being and economic enterprises in the communities would ultimately lead to greater taxation. Fossil fuel supports and new initiatives are also a disincentive. Lastly, international policy via the COP and countries’ national commitments should include a clear localized community imperative.
For those wanting to read more on the topic, IRENA have produced an excellent report on the topic.
