1 Gigaton Coalition

What is 1 Gigaton Coalition?

•  1 Gigaton Coalition is an initiative launched by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), with support from the Government of Norway.

•  It was launched on 10 December 2014 to promote the expansion of renewable energy and energy efficiency in climate change mitigation efforts.

• The 1 Gigaton Coalition aims to measure and report reductions of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives and programmes that are not accounted for in the Emissions Gap Report.

• These emissions are estimated to be 1 gigaton of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) by 2020.

• 1 Gigaton Coalition to do so by creating a methodology in their annual 1 Gigaton Coalition reports, which will highlight specific countries and programmes by applying this methodology.

• These emission reductions, however, are currently underreported in most countries. In order to achieve target reductions, the coalition identifies success stories and highlight their achievements in order to encourage broader uptake of such approaches.

• Success stories are seen as a way to bolster the case for ambitious initiatives, such as a global switch to energy efficient appliances that could reduce electricity consumption by 10% and avoid 1.25 billion tonnes of CO2e per year.

• Participation in the coalition is open to government agencies and intergovernmental organizations as well as the private sector and civil society.