Released September 19, 2023 | SUGAR LAND
en
Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The world is making uneven progress in containing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from various industries, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) (Paris). The report assessed progress to date over the last year in reducing GHGs in several industries and proposed a set of "breakthrough" opportunities to accelerate each industries' transition to a lower-carbon footprint.
Much attention has been paid to decarbonizing the Power sector in recent years, and that is warranted because it accounts for nearly one-quarter of global GHG emissions as of 2019, the report noted. Other significant global GHG-contributing sectors include: agriculture and land use (17% of emissions); road transportation (10%); buildings (6%); steelmaking (5%); and cement (3%). The report also discussed efforts to more rapidly commercialize low-carbon hydrogen.
Click on the image at right to see a pie chart of global GHG emissions by sector in 2019.
Because those six industrial sectors (aside from hydrogen) are the most significant GHG emitters, they are the focus of a new 179-page "breakthrough" report, "Accelerating Sector Transitions Through Stronger International Collaboration," which was released September 14.
The report was prepared by the IEA, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (Masdar City, Abu Dhabi) and two United Nations climate change high-level champions, Mahmoud Mohieldin and Razan Al Mubarak. The report is designed to contribute to negotiating global GHG reductions, and the financing thereof, at the upcoming Conference of the Parties 28 (COP 28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year.
In 2021, attendees at the U.N. COP 26 in Aberdeen, Scotland, committed to pursue and share "breakthrough" developments to decarbonize various industries. That group also agreed to annually assess progress made in implementing and disseminating those "breakthroughs."
"The energy transition is moving quicker than many people think, but it needs to move faster still. Our analysis shows that while some sectors are seeing stronger international collaboration, others are falling behind," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement accompanying the report. "No country can tackle the climate and energy challenges we face in isolation. Working together is the only way we can deliver a smooth transition for everyone. Building on innovation, attracting investment and scaling up demand for new technologies are the fundamental building blocks for success. By delaying further, we are simply increasing the risks."
Click on the image at right to see a table showing progress to date in deploying low-carbon solutions in six industries, and their respective goals for 2030.
The September 14 report was the second annual "breakthrough" report. Last year's report focused on power, agriculture, road transportation, steelmaking and hydrogen. This year's report assessed progress in those five industries and, for the first time, identified potential breakthrough opportunities in buildings and cement.
The report said that "current efforts on clean energy and sustainable solutions, while improving, are not yet delivering the levels of investment and deployment required to meet international climate goals. It called on governments to strengthen collaboration in key areas--such as standards and regulation, financial and technical assistance and market creation--to turbocharge the transition."
It observed that the transition "to clean energy and sustainable solutions is accelerating across many sectors, with unprecedented expansion in clean technologies such as solar PV and electric cars. Renewable electricity is now more affordable than fossil fuel-based electricity in a growing number of countries and contributes to more than 50% of electricity generation in around 30% of countries. Sales of electric passenger cars are growing exponentially and--if this rate continues--could by 2030 be comfortably in line with what is required under a scenario compatible with reaching net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050."
"But global (GHG) emissions are still increasing, and the (proposed reductions) that countries have put forward in U.N. climate change negotiations are not consistent with curbing temperature rise in line with international climate goals," it continued. "The past year has also been notable for record temperatures, and extreme weather events are continuing to increase in frequency and intensity in many parts of the world."
The authors urged greater collaboration across borders to share best practices and drive down GHG emissions.
The report prioritized these sector-specific recommendations for six industries:
Much attention has been paid to decarbonizing the Power sector in recent years, and that is warranted because it accounts for nearly one-quarter of global GHG emissions as of 2019, the report noted. Other significant global GHG-contributing sectors include: agriculture and land use (17% of emissions); road transportation (10%); buildings (6%); steelmaking (5%); and cement (3%). The report also discussed efforts to more rapidly commercialize low-carbon hydrogen.
Because those six industrial sectors (aside from hydrogen) are the most significant GHG emitters, they are the focus of a new 179-page "breakthrough" report, "Accelerating Sector Transitions Through Stronger International Collaboration," which was released September 14.
The report was prepared by the IEA, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (Masdar City, Abu Dhabi) and two United Nations climate change high-level champions, Mahmoud Mohieldin and Razan Al Mubarak. The report is designed to contribute to negotiating global GHG reductions, and the financing thereof, at the upcoming Conference of the Parties 28 (COP 28) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this year.
In 2021, attendees at the U.N. COP 26 in Aberdeen, Scotland, committed to pursue and share "breakthrough" developments to decarbonize various industries. That group also agreed to annually assess progress made in implementing and disseminating those "breakthroughs."
"The energy transition is moving quicker than many people think, but it needs to move faster still. Our analysis shows that while some sectors are seeing stronger international collaboration, others are falling behind," IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said in a statement accompanying the report. "No country can tackle the climate and energy challenges we face in isolation. Working together is the only way we can deliver a smooth transition for everyone. Building on innovation, attracting investment and scaling up demand for new technologies are the fundamental building blocks for success. By delaying further, we are simply increasing the risks."
The September 14 report was the second annual "breakthrough" report. Last year's report focused on power, agriculture, road transportation, steelmaking and hydrogen. This year's report assessed progress in those five industries and, for the first time, identified potential breakthrough opportunities in buildings and cement.
The report said that "current efforts on clean energy and sustainable solutions, while improving, are not yet delivering the levels of investment and deployment required to meet international climate goals. It called on governments to strengthen collaboration in key areas--such as standards and regulation, financial and technical assistance and market creation--to turbocharge the transition."
It observed that the transition "to clean energy and sustainable solutions is accelerating across many sectors, with unprecedented expansion in clean technologies such as solar PV and electric cars. Renewable electricity is now more affordable than fossil fuel-based electricity in a growing number of countries and contributes to more than 50% of electricity generation in around 30% of countries. Sales of electric passenger cars are growing exponentially and--if this rate continues--could by 2030 be comfortably in line with what is required under a scenario compatible with reaching net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050."
"But global (GHG) emissions are still increasing, and the (proposed reductions) that countries have put forward in U.N. climate change negotiations are not consistent with curbing temperature rise in line with international climate goals," it continued. "The past year has also been notable for record temperatures, and extreme weather events are continuing to increase in frequency and intensity in many parts of the world."
The authors urged greater collaboration across borders to share best practices and drive down GHG emissions.
The report prioritized these sector-specific recommendations for six industries:
- Power: Governments, working with key institutions and funds, "should ensure that international support is available at better terms, including grants at early investment stages. That includes creating de-risking mechanisms, tailored to the country's respective contexts, helping to mobilize private sector investments. Overall provision of resources should be increased, particularly towards technologies that have not achieved commercial maturity."
- Agriculture and Land Use: The report urged "increased climate finance to support the deployment of agricultural technologies and approaches for which science has generated evidence on effectiveness, including agroecology, reducing food loss and waste, reducing livestock methane emissions, reducing emissions from fertilizers, and crop and livestock breeding."
- Road Transportation: "Governments should agree on a timeline by which all new road vehicle sales should be zero emission, with interim targets for countries taking into account their level of economic development and ability to scale up infrastructure," the IEA report recommended. "Governments should put effective policies in place to implement these commitments. Targets should be Paris-aligned and should include all vehicle types."
- Buildings: Nations should work together to "harmonize and upgrade the definitions and nomenclature for net-zero and climate-resilient buildings and their performance. Countries should work towards standardizing life-cycle carbon assessments, developing resilience assessments and aligning certification scheme with net zero and resilient requirements. Harmonization should permit the flexibility to accommodate different regional contexts and should be supported by establishing shared international mechanisms, platforms and formats for data sharing of best-in-class net-zero and climate-resilient projects."
- Steelmaking: The report recommended nations and corporations "work through existing collaborative forums to align emissions accounting methodologies for steel by the end of 2024. Countries representing most global steel production should commit to adopting net-zero and consistent mandatory standards by the mid-2020s."
- Cement: Countries and companies should work through existing collaborative forums to agree definitions for low- and near-zero emission cement and concrete by the mid-2020s, as well as adopt and implement guidelines for the efficient use and reuse of building material.
- Hydrogen: Governments and businesses should provide financial and human resources for the development and implementation of a comprehensive portfolio of national and international standards, based on a well-articulated plan that defines resource needs. "Governments should also work towards the adoption of a common methodology to calculate the carbon footprint of the hydrogen value chain to facilitate mutual recognition and interoperability of certification systems. Governments, especially those of developing countries, should anticipate building technical capacity of their national systems to verify compliance with international hydrogen standards."
