Achieving our energy and climate goals requires a dramatic scale-up of clean energy technologies
To avoid the worst effects of climate change, the global energy system must rapidly reduce its emissions. Calls to cut global greenhouse gas emissions grow louder every year, but emissions remain unsustainably high. International climate goals call for emissions to peak as soon as possible, then decline rapidly to reach net-zero in the second half of this century. The majority of global CO2 emissions come from the energy sector, making the need for a cleaner energy system clear. Global CO2 emissions will decline in 2020 due to the Covid-19 crisis, but without structural changes in the energy system, this decline will be temporary.
Achieving net-zero emissions requires radical change in the way we supply, transform and use energy. The rapid development of wind, solar and electric cars shows the potential of new clean energy technologies to reduce emissions. For net-zero emissions, these technologies will need to be deployed on a much larger scale, coupled with the development and mass roll-out of many clean energy solutions that are at an earlier stage of development, such as hydrogen and many applications such as carbon capture. . The IEA’s Sustainable Development Scenario – a roadmap for achieving international climate and energy goals – includes aspects of behavioral change along with deep change in energy system technology and infrastructure, bringing the global energy system to net zero emissions by 2070.
The report analyzes more than 800 technology options to explore what would need to happen for the world to reach net zero emissions by 2050. The report focuses primarily on the sustainable development scenario, but also includes a complementary accelerated innovation case that explores the technological implications of achieving net-zero emissions globally by 2050. The analysis seeks to assess the challenges and opportunities associated with fast, clean energy. Change. The report covers all areas of the energy system, from fuel conversion and power generation to aircraft and steel production.
