“We are living in a crisis” – a sentence often heard in the last 2 years, and an understatement. The truth is that we are living in a world full of crises: health, democracy, biodiversity and climate have been in a constant state of crisis for the better part of the year, some of them for decades, and no end in sight.

We urgently need inclusive policy decision-making to design a positive vision for the future  –100% Renewable Energy (RE) can be such a vision. An energy system powered by 100% RE can serve as a means for sustainable economic development for urban and rural regions, can reduce air pollution we are all subjected to each day, ensure energy access for everybody and thereby can provide a stable source of energy for health facilities and schools, thus increases our resilience, and can increase democratic participation in the energy system. In short, in the vision of 100% RE no one is left behind.

That is why projects have been set up in Costa Rica, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh to develop integrated 100 % Renewable Energy (RE) roadmaps aiming to eradicate poverty in Tanzania, achieve stable energy access in Bangladesh, and full decarbonisation in Costa Rica. A well-designed framework for 100 % RE achieves the Paris climate targets and supports the implementation of Agenda 2030. As such, 100 % RE roadmaps are an obligation rather than an option for countries that signed both agreements. 100 % RE can offer opportunities to identify synergies and complementarities between energy security, socio-economic development, and climate change mitigation. Country-specific, long-term 100 % RE roadmaps, backed by opinion leaders, can provide a positive vision and thus be a tool to develop the urgently needed political leaders in post-Paris times.