Voters in countries representing 25% of the world’s population say investments in clean energy should be a priority for their governments 

Brussels, 8 November, 2024: Investing in green technologies should be a top priority for national governments, say citizens in 10 countries surveyed for new research from the Global Renewables Alliance conducted ahead of COP29. 

The survey polled citizens in 10 major economies, including France, Germany, India, Italy, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, with support for investments in green technology a top-two priority in all of them. In Brazil, hosts of next year’s COP30, investment in green technologies is the top priority for the public.  

Combined, these countries account for nearly one-quarter of the world’s population, just under a quarter of the world’s GDP, and the governments are responsible for nearly 13% global heat-trapping emissions. Support for clean energy investment is at the heart of the political agenda, particularly with the re-election of Donald Trump as US President, but this survey shows governments have a mandate to deliver on their renewable energy ambitions.  

The results come as countries outline new plans for green investments in their national climate plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs), due to be submitted to the United Nations by February next year. NDCs are an opportunity for nations to re-evaluate and align renewable ambitions with 1.5°C targets and detail how they will leverage renewables to meet economic and climate goals.  

Integrating renewable objectives into national climate plans is essential to providing clarity on the pace and scale of a country’s energy transition. This clarity is essential for the private sector, who can reciprocate with investment plans and align their strategies with national goals. This will help ensure a robust pipeline of renewable energy projects. 

“This survey makes it clear that investing in local, secure, clean energy is a vote winner, as well as driving green industrialisation and delivering on national climate ambitions,” said Bruce Douglas, CEO of the Global Renewables Alliance.  

“The tripling renewables pledge at COP28 made the global ambition for clean energy clear, now it is time for action that transforms potential into reality. NDCs are the vehicle to translate the global goal into national plans and local projects, getting the world back on course for Net Zero. 

“Governments must deliver ambitious, specific, and actionable NDCs. Their citizens understand the potential for new jobs, new industry and clean energy – world leaders must now unlock the transformative potential of renewable energy.  

The future winners will be those who grasp the current opportunity.” 

The Global Renewables Alliance has outlined seven recommendations for governments to ensure NDCs close the ambition-action gap and deliver the full potential of renewable energy.  

1. Set clear renewable energy targets: Governments should include specific, measurable renewable energy capacity targets within NDCs and integrated energy plans that align with the COP28 GST tripling goal. Attention needs to be paid to the mix of renewable resources and storage to ensure supplies are secure and reliable. These targets should incorporate just transition principles and be made legally binding to provide investor certainty. 
2. Develop robust implementation frameworks: To ensure effective delivery, governments should commit to publishing comprehensive energy transition or sectoral plans as part of their NDCs. These should feature realistic timelines for renewable energy development, detailed technology-specific pipelines, and focus on creating favourable policy and regulatory conditions. Such transparency will build confidence in the implementation process. 
3. Develop long-term multi-stakeholder collaboration: To support the above, governments should establish “NDC-councils” to enhance collaboration across government agencies, the private sector, financial institutions and civil society in NDC planning and implementation. Active participation from the private sector will help facilitate technical and market intelligence sharing, ensure latest technology advancements are accounted for and that targets are informed by economic realities. 
4. Coordinate investment mechanisms: Governments should also develop and publish NDC investment strategies that are integrated into sectoral and national plans. These should present and promote quantified, bankable mitigation projects supported by robust investment mechanisms. For example, to catalyse commitments from developers and financiers, governments could showcase the pipeline of renewable energy auctions that would allow the country to meet its emissions reduction goals from the power sector. 
5. Enhance permitting and infrastructure development: Where relevant, governments should expedite the permitting process and prioritise the modernisation of national electricity grids to facilitate faster integration of renewable energy sources and mitigate infrastructure bottlenecks. 
6. Integrate existing energy transition goals:  Existing energy goals and policies should be integrated into current and new NDCs to help raise ambition into 2030 and beyond, ensuring balanced actions that simultaneously phase out fossil fuels while scaling up renewable energy. To ensure NDC’s are aligned with 1.5°C, they must also be informed by the latest science. 
7. NDC cooperation: Leading countries should support peer-to-peer engagement to enhance international cooperation on this agenda and encourage highest possible ambition in NDCs. This is via both bilateral and multilateral forums, including UNFCCC processes. Developed countries, in particular, should rapidly scale up and enhance financial and technical support to EMDEs to support long-term energy transition planning and implementation. 

See polling methodology