How Energy Efficiency Cuts Costs for a 2°C Future

A new report (from a consortium of groups led by Fraunhaufer ISI) — “How Energy Efficiency Cuts Costs for a 2° C Future” — analyses how energy efficiency policies and programs in Brazil, China, Europe, India, Mexico, and the U.S. can reduce the cost of economy-wide de-carbonisation by up to $250 billion per year for these regions, with no net cost to society through 2030.

About 40% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions originate from energy use in industry, transport, and buildings, and another 25% from power generation (IPCC 2014). A highly efficient use of energy is thus fundamental to limit GHG emissions. Yet, energy efficiency receives much less attention than the de-carbonisation of the energy supply.

The report explains how energy efficiency can be a low-cost pathway to keeping global warming to the critical 2 degrees Celsius mark. They stress it’s benefits compared to a highly expensive energy intensive pathway that focuses primarily on de-carbonising energy supply with more limited energy efficiency policies to help achieve a 2° C future.

Read related articles via Greenbiz and ClimateWorks