by Rebecca Walker — July 10, 2009—The United States officially joined the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), increasing the number of countries participating in the organization to 136. IRENA was founded on January 26 with 75 member nations, and its membership now includes most of Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, as well as Australia, Greenland, India, Japan, and parts of South America.
The new agency will engage governments around the world in promoting a rapid transition toward the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale.
The U.S. participation is an important element of the Obama Administration’s effort to support clean energy technologies and the development of the low-carbon economies needed to address climate change.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States will work closely with other signatories, IRENA’s leadership, and members of Congress to ensure that the new agency’s work augments and complements other renewable energy efforts.
For more information, see the State Department’s press release. For more on IRENA, see its Web site.
