Fostering Renewables through innovation: Ambitious RE targets as essential ingredients for an integrated, resilient and transformative New Urban Agenda

The pursuit of increased renewable energy (RE) in energy supply is of foremost importance for achieving the 1.5° scenario established in the 2015 Paris Agreement. Cities, towns, and regions all over the world have emerged as champions for RE and are making significant advances through commitment to innovative and ambitious actions, policies, and technologies. Several cities, towns, and regions have even made the most ambitious commitment possible: to pursue 100%RE for all activities and sectors. The advantages of the shift to RE are profound. It leads to: reduced CO2 emissions; increased resilience of the energy system; a decentralized energy supply; new opportunities for local business; increased retention of capital; and fostering local business opportunities, keeping capital in the region; and opportunities for technological innovation. Yet these outcomes are only possible through commitment to policies, regulations, incentives, and finance models which engage and enable ambitious actors and stakeholders. We will convene relevant actors to support the continued anchoring of RE into the outcomes of Habitat III and address the need for national and international framework conditions which address ambitious local action.