Briefing Paper – Energy Efficiency Background

The document details the energy efficiency trajectories of the U.S. and China, noting that the U.S. has seen a steady decline in energy intensity since 1950, while China experienced significant fluctuations, including a sharp increase between 2000 and 2005 before implementing binding reduction targets. It outlines current targets, such as the U.S. goal of net-zero by 2050 and China's goal of carbon neutrality by 2060, and highlights the history of U.S.-China cooperation through initiatives like the Energy Efficiency Action Plan and the Energy Efficiency Forum.

• Global energy efficiency improved by 1.3% in 2023, but the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that a global annual improvement rate of 4% through 2030 is required to achieve net-zero emissions.
• U.S. energy intensity declined at an average annual rate of 1.6% between 1950 and 2022, with the rate increasing to 2% per year from 1970 to 2022, driven by oil embargoes, fuel economy standards, and a shift toward a services-oriented economy.
• China's energy efficiency trend was volatile: it improved nearly 5% annually from 1980 to 2000, reversed with a 2.2% annual increase in energy intensity from 2000 to 2005 due to WTO entry and industrial expansion, and then improved by 4% per year on average from 2005 to 2015 following the introduction of binding targets in the 11th Five-Year Plan.
• The U.S. projects that energy efficiency will provide approximately 1 GtCO2e of annual emissions reductions by 2050, representing 22% of the total reductions expected from transforming the energy sector.
• China's 1+N policy framework sets specific targets: reducing economic energy intensity by 14.5% and carbon intensity by 18% from 2020 levels by 2025, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.
• The U.S. and China have a history of bilateral cooperation, including the 2008 Ten Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and the Environment and the Energy Efficiency Forum (held annually from 2010 to 2017), with a recent agreement in the 2023 Sunnylands Statement to restart the Forum.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Briefing Paper – Energy Efficiency Background. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-energy-efficiency-briefing-EN.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Briefing Paper – Energy Efficiency Background. n.d. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-energy-efficiency-briefing-EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Briefing Paper – Energy Efficiency Background |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-energy-efficiency-briefing-EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendbriefing, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Briefing Paper – Energy Efficiency Background}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2024-07/2024-energy-efficiency-briefing-EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }