Women in energy: ‘We have to tap into the potential of that 50 per cent of the planet.’

‘If they don’t have a seat at the table then their realities will not be taken into consideration’

Why do we need to ensure that women have a voice in the energy transition debate?

“Because it’s 50 per cent of the population and if they don’t have a seat at the table then their realities will not be taken into consideration,” said Rana Adib, Executive Director of REN21, the global community of renewable energy actors from science, governments, NGOs and industry.

“We have to tap into the potential of that 50 per cent of the planet.”

Adib’s comments came during a debate at the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue about empowering consumers.

She said that the COP28 target of tripling renewables’ capacity by 2030 “was not going to happen without citizens”.

More from Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue
World needs annual 1000GW of renewable energy to hit COP28 pledge
Germany ‘back in the game’ on energy transition says renewables chief
Nationalism is threat to energy transition says climate action minister Habeck

She explained that the COP28 target was contingent on an acceleration of permitting for renewable energy projects, and that means bringing the clean energy debate closer to home – in every sense – to the consumer.

“Permitting is about bringing renewables closer to our homes and our agriculture. If we do it well and bring people around the table, then it will be smoother.”

She said that the pace of change that was needed between now and 2030 will fail without public acceptance. “It’s not going to happen without citizens: we are trying to do in five years what we did in the last 15 years.”

More on women in energy
Emma Pinchbeck: ‘We need an energy workforce that looks like the population we serve’
Top women in energy empower next generation with career masterclass

Originally published on powerengineeringint.com