EE4D collaborated with USAID and the Sharing Environment and Energy Knowledge (SEEK) project in the development of a blog post to highlight the importance of energy efficiency in achieving climate and energy security objectives. The blog post was published in the ClimateLinks portal.  ClimateLinks is a global knowledge portal for USAID staff, implementing partners, and the broader community working at the intersection of climate change and international development.

On April 23, 2021, the White House called for a Global Climate Ambition Initiative to “support developing countries in… implementing their nationally determined contributions and… enhance and meet their climate goals in ways that further their national development priorities.” According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), energy efficiency must take a leading role as the “first fuel” in climate-related development assistance in order to achieve the dual objective of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while catalyzing economic development.  Read blog here.

Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling programs (EESL) have been implemented in more than 80 countries, covering more than 50 different types of energy-using appliances. They remove inefficient technologies from the market; deter more advanced economies from dumping older, less-efficient technologies on USAID partner countries; and empower consumers to make informed purchasing choices.  This ClimateLinks blog details the collaboration provided by USAID and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) through the EE4D program to support the implementation of the EESL program in South Africa and the achievement of climate and energy security goals.