Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map

By The Editors

The energy sector is the single largest source of climate-changing greenhouse-gas emissions. Limiting these emissions is an essential focus of global action. A new World Energy Outlook Special Report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows that the world is not on track to meet one of the targets agreed by governments. This target is to limit the long-term rise in the average global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius (°C). The path we are currently on is more likely to result in a temperature increase of between 3.6 °C and 5.3 °C.

The report, which is entitled “Redrawing the Energy-Climate Map” and can be found at the IEA free publications website, states that “The weight of scientific analysis tells us that our climate is already changing and that we should expect extreme weather events (such as storms, floods and heat waves) to become more frequent and intense, as well as increasing global temperatures and rising sea levels.”

However, there are also good news in the report, which was released on Monday, June 10.  The good news come from the results of a 4-for-2°C scenario, in which four energy policies are selected that can deliver significant emissions reductions by 2020.  These energy policies rely only on existing technologies and have already been adopted successfully in several countries.

“We identify a set of proven measures that could stop the growth in global energy-related emissions by the end of this decade at no net economic cost,” said IEA Chief Economist Fatih Birol, the report’s lead author. “Rapid and widespread adoption could act as a bridge to further action, buying precious time while international climate negotiations continue.”

The International Energy Agency (IEA), an autonomous agency, was established in November 1974. Its primary mandate was – and is – two-fold: to promote energy security amongst its member countries through collective response to physical disruptions in oil supply, and provide authoritative research and analysis on ways to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 28 member countries and beyond. The IEA carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among its member countries.