A low carbon energy world is dawning – but we must move even faster

The energy transition is accelerating as wind and solar become more competitive and electric vehicles gain momentum. However, global carbon emissions rose by more than 2.5% in 2018, indicating that current progress is insufficient to limit temperature rise to 1.5C or 2C. While electricity and mobility are advancing, heavy industry, aviation, and shipping still lag. The author emphasizes that reducing total final energy demand by 40% by 2050 through efficiency and service-economy models could allow the world to meet the 1.5C target without negative emissions technologies. Key priorities for the future include shifting large-scale investment away from high-carbon assets and providing clean energy access to over 1 billion people currently without reliable electricity.

• The transition to low carbon energy is accelerating, driven by the increasing competitiveness of wind and solar power and the shift toward electric transport. In 2017, renewable energy attracted more than 60% of global power generation investment.
• Decarbonizing heavy industry, aviation, shipping, and trucking is considered affordable, with an estimated cost of less than 1% of GDP using current technology.
• Two critical areas for future action are the redirection of large-scale investment from high-carbon to low-carbon assets and the provision of clean energy access to more than 1 billion people who lack reliable electricity.

APA

Kortenhorst, C. L.-O. J. (2019). A low carbon energy world is dawning – but we must move even faster. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/a-low-carbon-energy-world-is-dawning-but-we-must-move-faster/

Chicago

Kortenhorst, Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Jules. A low carbon energy world is dawning – but we must move even faster. World Economic Forum, 2019. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/a-low-carbon-energy-world-is-dawning-but-we-must-move-faster/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Kortenhorst |first1=Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Jules |title=A low carbon energy world is dawning – but we must move even faster |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=16 January 2019 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/a-low-carbon-energy-world-is-dawning-but-we-must-move-faster/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{kortenhorst2019low, author = {Kortenhorst, Christina Lampe-Onnerud, Jules}, title = {{A low carbon energy world is dawning – but we must move even faster}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2019}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/a-low-carbon-energy-world-is-dawning-but-we-must-move-faster/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }