The report says there is a viable pathway to building a global energy sector with net-zero emissions in 2050, “but it is narrow and requires an unprecedented transformation of how energy is produced, transported and used”. It is the world’s first comprehensive study of how to transition to a net-zero energy system, “while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access and enabling robust economic growth”. Most reductions in emissions between now and 2030 in the net-zero pathway come from technologies readily available today. Governments must quickly increase and reprioritise spending on research and development – as well as on demonstrating and deploying clean energy technologies – putting them at the core of energy and climate policy, it says. “Our roadmap shows that the enormous challenge of rapidly transitioning to a net-zero energy system is also a huge opportunity for our economies.

Source: The Irish Times May 18, 2021 05:00 UTC