United States Ratifies International Solar Alliance

The United States of America has ratified the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Agreement. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Instrument of Acceptance was handed over by Patricia Lacina, Charge D’Affaires, US Embassy in India. It was handed over during a meeting of Lacina with AS (ER) Prabhat Kumar and JS (ED) Noor Rahman Sheikh.

Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, said in a Tweet, “USA ratifies the International Solar Alliance Agreement. The Instrument of Acceptance was handed over by US Embassy in India Charge D’Affaires Patricia Lacina during her meeting with AS(ER) Prabhat Kumar and JS (ED) Noor Rahman Sheikh.”

The ISA was created by the joint efforts of India and France on the sidelines of COP-21 (Paris Agreement) in order to enhance solar energy development and solutions to combat the vagaries of climate change by mobilizing efforts.

Including USA, 107 countries have now signed the ISA Framework Agreement and 87 out of them have ratified it. Initially the members belonged to geographies that fell wholly or partly within the two tropics of the Earth but recently, it was made open to all member states of the United Nations to join the ISA.

Sphere of ISA

The ISA is a collaborative platform where members drive actions for greater deployment of solar power installations and technologies development. It has been granted Observer Status by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

The organisation wants to facilitate energy access, ensure energy security, and drive energy transition in its member countries.

The ISA strives to develop and deploy cost-effective and transformational energy solutions powered by the sun to help member countries develop low-carbon growth trajectories, with particular focus on delivering impact in countries categorized as Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and the Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The Joe Biden administration is going for a solar expansion in the US in a big way to decarbonise its power sector. Former President Donald Trump had decided to keep out of the ISA and also the Paris Agreement.