Climate Obligations and the Government’s Firm Resolve to Develop Clean Electricity

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Assistant Prof., Law Department Of NRI, Iran
Abstract
The unchecked and steadily increasing emission of greenhouse gases has prompted forward-looking countries to pursue the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). As members of the international community, all states share a common responsibility to take action toward reducing carbon emissions. This shared responsibility must be operationalized through differentiated approaches by developed and developing countries alike. Given their historically greater contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, developed countries have undertaken the obligation to achieve absolute emission reductions, alongside two parallel commitments: providing financial support and facilitating technology transfer to developing countries in order to address climate change.
Developing countries, in turn, must initially take into account their economic and social priorities and, in parallel with receiving financial assistance and accessing advanced technologies, pursue environmentally adaptive policies aimed at reducing emissions.
One key global strategy in this regard is the tripling of renewable energy capacity worldwide. Clearly, the success of a limited number of countries in achieving net-zero carbon emissions will not be sufficient to enable the world to overcome this super-challenge. Nor will such countries remain immune from the adverse impacts of climate change. Beyond national borders, governments must share scientific knowledge and technological advancements. Moreover, through sustained financial support for developing countries, the international community can facilitate the realization of the global objective of tripling renewable energy capacity. Relevant sustainable development instruments and the UNFCCC explicitly emphasize the importance of technology transfer and financial assistance to developing countries. However, the principal challenge lies in the lack of adequate economic conditions and communication infrastructures necessary for the effective utilization of state-of-the-art technologies—constraints that, due to unjust sanctions, are currently unavailable to the country.
The government has demonstrated a firm resolve to expand solar and wind power generation. The realization of this commitment requires, on the one hand, private-sector investment and, on the other, the ability to trade clean electricity through the Energy Exchange, the establishment of guaranteed purchase mechanisms by the government, and the timely settlement of payments. Once the private sector gains sufficient confidence for return on investment (ROI), the government’s resolve for developing clean electricity to be fulfilled.
Keywords

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