At the international level, more than 190 signatory countries of the Paris Agreement have committed to adopt progressive measures, in cycles of five years, aimed at reducing the emission of greenhouse gases and thereby contributing to the great goal of limiting global warming to less than two degrees Celsius, taking pre-industrial levels as a reference.
The path outlined is intended to be built from the development of technologies that allow the expansion in the use of clean and renewable energy sources, which once and for all replace the current energy system based on fossil fuels. We insistently hear in various public opinion forums that it is urgent to advance in energy conversion to ensure the continuity of the planet and improve the life expectancies of our descendants.
No one in their right mind can deny the moral forcefulness of this aspiration, however, in an unequal world the cases and possible solutions can be diverse. Are all countries capable of carrying out this energy transition? Should we consider the right of current generations of young people to their full development, for which they require today, not tomorrow, prosperous countries that forge adequate opportunities for job placement and entrepreneurship? How can we reconcile the development needs of present and future nations in an equitable and sustainable manner?
The energy transition has multiple aspects and starting points. European countries have been applying common policies for more than half a century to advance economic development models that are increasingly oriented towards sustainability, which, however, have been insufficient to prevent their vulnerability from coming to light as a result of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Faced with this emergency, the main European economies are trying to reach agreements to jointly replace purchases of Russian gas and oil in the short term, and speed up the necessary investments to achieve energy self-sufficiency.
The United States and China are the main consumers of fossil fuels and the ones that generate the most greenhouse gases, but they are also the countries that are currently making the largest investments in the development of renewable energy sources.