Breakout 4A - Fit for purpose infrastructure: permitting for the climate transition
Apr 10, 2024 | 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
Apr 10, 2024 | 8:45 AM - 9:45 AM
Description
Room CC1
To meet the Paris Agreement targets and respond to the effects of climate change, new investment in resilient, low-emission infrastructure will need to be delivered at a greater pace and scale than in previous decades. In response, countries and international organisations increasingly recognise they need more fit for purpose permitting and land use planning arrangements to meet this challenge. For example, the United States is coordinating its permitting procedures at the Federal and state levels. The European Commission has directed members to reduce permitting timeframes for solar facilities from 4 years down to 3 months, and wind farms from 6-9 years down to 1 year. The United Kingdom’s National Infrastructure Commission has also recommended their Government speed up the permitting of nationally significant infrastructure while New Zealand has developed a fast-track environmental permitting process for renewable energy projects.
But there will be challenges to achieving this, such as countries gaining the agreement of local communities who may be impacted by new energy installations. This session focuses on what leading countries are doing to ensure their environmental permitting rules are fit for purpose, while still upholding environmental, cultural and recreational safeguards.
