Pathway for 1.5C

This report by Ember outlines a pathway for the global electricity sector to reach net zero emissions by 2040, referencing the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario as a realistic trajectory to align with the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal.

• The global electricity sector is the largest source of CO2 emissions and must be the first sector to reach net zero by 2040 to enable economy-wide net zero by 2050. In 2021, electricity generation accounted for more than one-third of total energy-related emissions, with coal contributing approximately 75% and gas nearly 25% of those emissions.
• To align with the IEA NZE scenario, the global power sector must meet specific milestones by 2030: wind and solar generation must increase to 41% (from 10% in 2021), coal generation must decrease by 54%, and gas generation must decrease by 24%. During this period, electricity demand is expected to grow by an average of 3.7% annually.
• By 2040, the power sector must achieve net zero emissions, which requires the global phase-out of unabated coal power and a reduction of unabated gas to only 0.3% of global electricity. OECD countries are expected to reach this net zero milestone earlier, by 2035.
• Wind and solar are identified as the primary drivers of the transition, projected to provide 75% of the increase in clean power through 2050. These technologies are noted for being low-cost, quick to deploy, and capable of delivering over a third of the emissions cuts required in the current decade.
• The role of electricity in the global energy system is expanding as it replaces fossil fuel combustion in industry, cooling, heating, and transport. Electricity's share of the world's final energy consumption is predicted to rise from 20% in 2022 to 27% by 2030.

APA

Ember (2023). Pathway for 1.5C. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/pathway-for-1-5c-ger2023/

Chicago

Ember. Pathway for 1.5C. 2023. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/pathway-for-1-5c-ger2023/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Pathway for 1.5C |date=12 April 2023 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/pathway-for-1-5c-ger2023/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2023pathway, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Pathway for 1.5C}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2023}, month = apr, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/pathway-for-1-5c-ger2023/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }