COP26 held the launch of the US-UK Strategic Energy Dialogue: partnering to accelerate global clean energy transition and the significance of its success.
On the 4 November 2021 at the UN COP26 summit in Glasgow, Kwasi Kwarteng, the UK Business and Energy Secretary, met with US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm to discuss strengthening cooperation to accelerate global transition to clean energy and build improved ambitions.
The meeting marked the launch of the US-UK Strategic Energy Dialogue, a commitment pledged by Prime Minister Johnson and President Biden in June 2021. The purpose of this commitment is to strengthen collaboration in areas such as clean energy the technologies, nuclear energy, industrial decarbonisation and energy security, as well as science and innovation.
Secretary of State Kwarteng and Secretary Granholm laid out their ambitions for how the Strategic Energy Dialogue will steer collaboration and global leadership in the up-coming years. They established the importance of recognising the critical role energy will play for both nations’ shared climate objectives, the foundation for a robust clean energy economy and national economic security.
The future of global clean energy transitions
The co-chairs proclaimed that future meetings will continue to prioritise the global transition to net zero emissions, while facilitating public-private sector engagement. It was announced that the next Strategic Energy Dialogue ministerial meeting will be held in Spring 2022. Both ministers stressed the bilateral priority and importance of sustaining the momentum achieved at COP26 and to implement its objectives.
It was agreed to leverage the strong bilateral relationship between the US and the UK, to help drive more ambitious action at fora, such as the G&, G20, International Energy Agency, Clean Energy Ministerial, and Mission Innovation.
The co-chairs recommitted to the success of the G7 Industrial Decarbonisation Agenda which they led in creating this year. The ministers stressed the vital role that international organisations fulfil through their convening power, analytical expertise, and capacity to drive public attention towards these crucial issues.
“The United Kingdom and United States are showing how the world can reap the benefits of this global green industrial revolution – from unlocking well paid jobs to creating thriving new green industries that will help secure a cleaner and more prosperous future for the global economy,” said UK Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng. “Drawing on this unique partnership with our closest ally will enable both nations to chart the course to net zero emissions by 2050 while supporting countries across the world in this global clean energy transition as we build back better.”
The co-chairs reiterated that all these arenas must advance global clean energy objectives while working towards a swift and inclusive transition that creates sustained, lasting prosperity for generations to come in a new energy economy that leaves no community behind.
“The United States and the United Kingdom are committed to working towards a net-zero economy by 2050,” said the US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “This is the opportunity out of the crisis: to create more sustainable, more resilient economies, while creating millions of good paying jobs. We will leave no community behind as we build a better future.”
