The Role of Energy Intensity in Global Decarbonization Efforts

The document argues that most global decarbonization scenarios require energy intensity improvements that far exceed historical rates, while noting that policy makers have limited influence over the mechanisms driving these trends.

• To avoid dangerous climate change, global CO2 emissions must be reduced by 50-90% by 2050, requiring the carbon intensity of the global economy to decline by 4-10% per year. This is a significant increase over the 0.9% annual decline observed from 1990 to 2005.
• Global decarbonization scenarios require sustained energy intensity improvements that are significantly higher than historical averages. Scenarios reviewed by Loftus et al. (2015) suggest primary energy intensity improvement rates between 1.6% and 3.6% per year, while IPCC scenarios rely on final energy intensity improvements between 1.0% and 3.6% per year.
• Historical progress in energy intensity has slowed significantly. Primary energy intensity improved at 1.3% per year from 1980-2000, but dropped to 0.3% per year from 2000-2012. Final energy intensity improved at 1.6% per year from 1980-2000, slowing to 0.6% per year after 2000.

APA

Jenkins, J. D., & Cohen, A. M. (2015). The Role of Energy Intensity in Global Decarbonization Efforts. Clean Air Task Force. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/21094040/CATF_FactSheet_EnergyIntensityGlobalDecarbonizationEfforts.pdf

Chicago

Jenkins, Jesse D., and Armond M. Cohen. The Role of Energy Intensity in Global Decarbonization Efforts. Clean Air Task Force, 2015. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/21094040/CATF_FactSheet_EnergyIntensityGlobalDecarbonizationEfforts.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Jenkins |first1=Jesse D. |last2=Cohen |first2=Armond M. |title=The Role of Energy Intensity in Global Decarbonization Efforts |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=2 March 2015 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/21094040/CATF_FactSheet_EnergyIntensityGlobalDecarbonizationEfforts.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{jenkins2015role, author = {Jenkins, Jesse D. and Cohen, Armond M.}, title = {{The Role of Energy Intensity in Global Decarbonization Efforts}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/21094040/CATF_FactSheet_EnergyIntensityGlobalDecarbonizationEfforts.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }