Accelerating Renewable Energy Deployment for Energy and Nature Security

The current crisis in Eastern Europe highlights, more than ever, the need for a clear pathway for accelerating the renewable energy transition to address the twin challenges of energy security and climate change. However, the deployment of renewables is often slowed down by planning processes that do not sufficiently account for biodiversity, agricultural, and social impacts from the very outset. Proactively identifying preferential areas for renewable energy deployment will help accelerate the required buildout while reducing negative impacts. Identifying these higher benefit, lower risk areas requires integrating ecological and socio-cultural values into planning and procurement processes. G7 countries should proactively identify preferential areas for renewable energy siting within their own territories, guided by the latest climate and biodiversity science. Additionally, G7 countries should call upon bilateral and multilateral development finance institutions to ensure that their financing and technical assistance likewise supports all countries to undertake integrated spatial planning assessments to define preferential areas to harness renewable energy sources for the production of electricity, while ensuring the preservation of natural habitats, agricultural production, and addressing the interests of local communities.