US joined the International Solar Alliance: All you need to know
November 10 marked the inclusion of the US into the International Solar Alliance (ISA) as its 101st member. The American Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, signed the agreement for this alliance by expressing that this would be a significant step for the US and the world towards the energy transition with a solar-led approach. This announcement was made by Kerry at the COP26 conference in Glasgow, United Kingdom. The Indian Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, Bhupendar Yadav, welcomed the United States to this alliance. Here is all you need to know about the ISA.
What is the International Solar Alliance?
Established by India, the International Solar Alliance was initiated by India in the year 2015. The fundamental goal of this alliance is to reduce the global usage of non-renewable fossil fuels and make a transition towards renewable sources, namely solar energy. It aligns with the global goals in reducing and managing climate change, which were discussed in the 2015 Paris Agreement. The alliance was announced by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, jointly at the 21st session of the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-21) in Paris, France. The headquarters of the ISA are situated in Gurugram, India.
Member nations of the ISA
With the United States joining the cohort recently, there are 101 member nations of the ISA. Most of the members are ‘sunshine countries’ which refers to those countries which lie completely or partly between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Nations which do not have the same specified geographical situation are still eligible to join the alliance. However, they do not have the right to vote. The right to vote in the ISA is only reserved for the sunshine countries.
Objectives of the ISA
The fundamental goal of the ISA, as the name suggests, is related to the effective utilisation of solar energy. This initiative seeks to encourage nations to relinquish their usage of non-renewable energy sources which are depleting as well as causing harm to the environment. It puts emphasis on developing methods of harnessing solar energy and using it as a permanent replacement of non-renewable forms of energy gradually.