Tell the White House to join IRENA

What individuals do in their daily lives is important to the goal of creating a sustainable world.  We're all consumers, and our choices can signal companies that we want organic food, green products and green manufacturing.  But national policies create such signals that have the force of law.

There is a need for the entire planet to adopt renewable energy, not only the major industrialized nations.  It makes little sense to go to sustainable energy in the G20 countries, only to replace it with fossil fuels used by the developing world.  Yet renewables are expensive and new technology which developing countries can't always afford -- or find uneconomical due to cheap nonrenewables.



That's why there is an organization called the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), founded in January of this year.

"IRENA aspires to become the main driving force for promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale.  As the global voice for renewable energies, IRENA envisages providing practical advice and support for both industrialised and developing countries, thereby helping to improve frameworks and build capacity. Moreover, the Agency intends to facilitate access to all relevant information, including reliable data on the potentials for renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms, and state-of-the-art technological expertise."

There are currently 83 nations that are signatories to the IRENA Statute.

But most of the world's biggest energy-consuming nations are missing from the list.  Russia, China, and the UK are vamping, as is Brazil, which is busily eradicating its rain forests. Canada and Mexico aren't members. And neither is the United States -- IRENA launched only days after President Obama's inauguration. Bush refused to join. 

There are a number of policy reasons the US should join IRENA.

• IRENA counterbalances the International Atomic Energy Agency, which some European officials say favors fossil fuels
• US membership could prompt the procrastinator countries to join. And we need to go to the next step beyond Kyoto, which would only have reduced carbon emissions by 6% of what is needed.
• The US needs to move faster on renewables itself. A treaty obligation, IRENA's future roadmap would give the US much-needed structure on renewable energy, and a timetable for implementation

Overseas observers knowledgeable about energy policy think the Obama-led US will join.  But as we have seen, domestic political resistance from the minority Republicans and the energy industry makes it difficult for him to make progress on a variety of issues.

So we need to give them a push.  Write the White House and your senators (they approve treaties) and tell them to act on US membership in IRENA.

US Senators

The White House