World can't simply wish away oil and gas but needs to make the switch, Irena official says

Gauri Singh, of the International Renewable Energy Agency, talks climate change, the difficulty of juggling career and home and why more women are entering the renewable sector

Gauri Singh said it was important to celebrate the contribution of women. Photo: Irena

Oil and gas are still an important part of global energy systems, no matter how much one might hope otherwise, but the world needed to switch from them to tackle climate change, a renewable energy official has said.

Gauri Singh, deputy director general of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), said the two fossil fuels had always been the elephant in the room that no one seemed to want to address.

But speaking to The National to mark Wednesday's International Women’s Day, Ms Singh said she was an optimist and the UAE’s hosting of the Cop28 climate talks in November would allow everyone to “up the ante” on what needs to be done to save the planet.

Women in the renewable sector

Ms Singh, a 30-year veteran of the renewable and sustainability sector, also reflected on the challenges she faced in her native India in the 1970s, the difficulty of juggling career and home as a woman and how she was heartened to see more and more women entering the sector.

In terms of climate change, Ms Singh highlighted a report from Irena that showed in 2022 a record annual investment of $1.3 trillion in "energy transition technology" such as smart grids, charging bays and battery technology — but this was countered by statistics from Africa that showed spending on oil and gas surging. Fossil fuels — coal, oil and gas — account for more than 75 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“We can’t take one step forward and another back, because we don’t have the time,” she said.

“[Cop28] is going to be an energy Cop. And the sooner we face this fact that [most] emissions are man-made and come from energy, then you understand this has to be the most important aspect of how we deal with climate change.”

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A woman crosses a polluted river in Dhaka, Bangladesh. EPA

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Ms Singh said mitigation — cutting these warming emissions — needed to be the focus of the climate talks but adaptation was equally important. Adaptation refers to how communities deal with climate change such as using heat-tolerant crops and embracing more efficient irrigation systems. But huge amounts of funding are needed to make this happen.

"We can’t talk about energy transition and not about adaptation," said Ms Singh. “We talk a lot but we have not really walked the talk and I hope this Cop will attract finance and get to some strong implementable action plans that can take us forward.”

Urgent need to adapt

At Cop27 in Egypt last year, one of the few areas of progress was the creation of a “loss and damage” fund to help developing countries deal with climate change. This is separate to financing adaptation. But whoever pays for it was kicked down the road to Cop28. Many delegates at Cop27 expressed frustration that too much focus was placed on loss and damage and not on mitigation. In an interview with The National last week, for example, Germany’s climate envoy Jennifer Morgan said Cop28 had to refocus on mitigation.

“If we don’t mitigate and adapt well, then loss and damage is where we lead ourselves too,” said Ms Singh. “It is a kind of downward spiral.”

Referring to the appointment of Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Special Envoy for Climate Change and Adnoc chief executive, as president-designate of the talks, Ms Singh said she had known him for a long time and he brings passion to any job.

"That is a strong quality. Even in Adnoc, his role is to focus a lot on getting the process as decarbonised as far as you can go. In that sense he is a great choice."

Turning to female representation in the renewable sector, Ms Singh said she had noticed more and more women feel they can relate to it. The days of energy being associated only with coal mines and distant oil fields had passed and the world of solar panels and wind turbines had become much more familiar, she said. “It is seen as a sunshine sector and the work doesn’t look as conventional energy work has normally looked.”

Ms Singh, born in 1963, grew up in Rajasthan in western India. In her schooldays in the 1970s she recalls a conservative environment but her parents gave equal opportunities to her and brother. However, many peers married early and weren't expected to have careers.

"[It took many] in my peer group to their late 30s and 40s to find time to do the things they enjoy. When I look at our generation, there was a silken boundary that you couldn’t really think of moving beyond but not now.”

Ms Singh said technology had also helped give women opportunities because it allowed people to do things even if they lived in a remote area. Ms Singh, who spent years working in government in India on projects such as developing solar power, alleviating poverty for low-income women and improving the state of rivers, said she was also fortunate to have had managers who looked at quality of work rather than time spent at a desk.

“As my son grew up, then I could focus a lot more on my career."

Reflecting on women’s day, she said it was an important moment to celebrate the contribution of women despite lingering doubts about the message of dedicating merely one day.

“Nevertheless, it is good to be able to celebrate the contribution of women in not just building families and households and taking care of loved ones, but also in the way they are coming out and contributing to society in ways that were not possible even a few decades ago."

Cop27 in Sharm El Sheikh - in pictures

A man wears a face mask that reads "no climate justice without human rights" during a protest at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AP

A presentation at the American University in Cairo Pavilion. Reuters

Egyptian artist Bahia Sheha stands inside her installation "Heaven & Hell in the Anthropocene." AFP

Akihiro Nishimura, minister of the environment of Japan, reviews notes with others at the COP27. AP

US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, right, and Xie Zhenhua, China's special envoy for climate greet each other at the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. AP

Brazilian president-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva poses for a group photograph with representatives of his country's indigenous people. AFP

People attend the COP27 UN Climate Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh. EPA

Activists dancing during a discussion on leaflets at the Cop27 climate conference, taking place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AFP

An activist wears a polar bear outfit as part of campaigning. AFP

From left, Rakia Amandou of Niger, Ba Aminata of Burkina Faso, Kenyan Rosemary Nenini, Fatima Mustafa Ahmed from Sudan and Djeneb Dicko from Burkina Faso at the Indigenous Peoples Pavilion. AP

Abdulla Nasser Musallam Al Rahbi, Oman's Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the Arab League, speaks at the COP27 climate conference in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh. AFP

Climate activists demonstrate in the designated protest zone. AP

Sheikh Abdullah, Director General of Environment at the Public Authority of Kuwait, speaks at Cop27. AFP

Visitors at the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre. AFP

A display outside the convention centre. AFP

A fountain in the green zone at the International Convention Centre at sunset. AFP

Mohamed bin Daina, right, Bahrain's Special Envoy for Climate Affairs and Chief Executive at the Supreme Council for Environment, at the conference. AFP

Members of Extinction Rebellion stage a protest at the Glencairn tidal pool outside Cape Town, South Africa to mark Cop27's 'Water Day'. AP

From left, Fahad Al Maskari of the Khalifa University, Frank Hartmann, Ghaleb Al Breiki of the UAE University, and Mouna Maroun of the University of Haifa, sign an agreement at Cop27. AFP

John Kerry, US special presidential envoy for climate, at Cop27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. AP Photo

Australian climate activists offer bananas to climate summit participants. AFP

Climate activist Sabrina Elba. AP Photo

Egyptian security forces stand guard during the protest. AFP

US President Joe Biden. AFP

Mr Biden with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. AP

A Cop27 sign in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, provides the backdrop for this woman's selfie. Reuters

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi speaks to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the climate summit. AFP

A water wonderland greets this child at an acquarium in the Cop27 Green Zone. Reuters

Mr El Sisi, second left, takes part in a cycling marathon on the sidelines of Cop27. EPA

Rafael Grossi, director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, speaks in Sharm El Sheikh about 'complicated' talks to set up a protection zone around Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. AFP

Frankie the dinosaur. Reuters

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Reuters

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan, CEO of the Alliances for Global Sustainability; Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment and Minister of State for Food Security; and Hatem Dowidar, group CEO at e&. AFP

Sameh Shoukry, Cop27 president, centre left, poses for photos in the youth pavilion. AP

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Participants visit the Ukrainian pavillon. AFP

Mr Kerry speaks during a session on accelerating the clean energy transition in developing countries. AP

Youth climate activists. Pictured, from the left, Eric Njuguna of Kenya, Nicole Becker of Argentina, Vanessa Nakate of Uganda, Sophia Kianni from Iran, and Mitzi Jonelle Tan of the Philippines. AP

Muhammad Sulaiman Al Jasser, right, chairman of the Islamic Development Bank Group, poses for a photo with Mohamed Hadi Al Hussaini, the UAE's Minister of State for Financial Affairs. AFP

Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Bloomberg

A police officer stands at the entrance of the Sharm El Sheikh International Convention Centre during Cop27. Reuters

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. AP Photo

Former US vice president Al Gore speaks during a session at Cop27. AP Photo

Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest. AFP