Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies: Approaches and Methodologies for Their Design

The document outlines the process for developing long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategies, emphasizing their role in guiding near- and medium-term actions and avoiding stranded assets. It details essential design elements, including long-term visions, sectoral pathways, and the critical role of the energy sector. The paper also discusses the use of modeling, scenarios, and qualitative inputs to inform these strategies, while highlighting the importance of transparent communication and just transitions.

• Long-term strategies serve as a tool for G20 nations to provide a clear signal that Paris Agreement temperature goals are achievable and to avoid the 'lock-in' of carbon-intensive infrastructure and stranded assets.
• The development process for these strategies is voluntary and nationally driven, typically involving steps such as securing political mandates, defining objectives, collecting data, and establishing review processes.
• Effective governance for long-term planning requires strong political leadership, inter-ministerial coordination, and legal frameworks to ensure institutional credibility and policy coherence.
• The energy sector is central to these strategies because it accounts for approximately two-thirds of global greenhouse gas emissions, and G20 countries specifically account for over 80 percent of global energy-related CO2 emissions.
• To limit warming to 1.5°–2°C, the energy sector must implement aggressive efficiency improvements, peak CO2 emissions before 2020, and triple the use of low- and zero-carbon energy technologies by 2050.
• The land sector is critical for meeting climate goals, as it accounts for nearly 25 percent of human-caused emissions, with 55 percent of those occurring in G20 countries.
• Modeling and scenarios are essential for evaluating trade-offs and identifying the means to achieve a long-term vision, though they are limited by data gaps, modeler bias, and an inability to predict unpredictable events.
• A 'just transition' requires that strategies deliver affordable and reliable energy to all society members and include plans to support workers and businesses in fossil fuel industries facing employment and revenue losses.
• Transparent communication of strategies is necessary to guide domestic private sector decisions, promote trust through detailed assumptions, and allow for global analysis of future emissions.

APA

World Resources Institute (2018). Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies: Approaches and Methodologies for Their Design. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/long-term-low-greenhouse-gas-emission-development-strategies.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies: Approaches and Methodologies for Their Design. 2018. https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/long-term-low-greenhouse-gas-emission-development-strategies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies: Approaches and Methodologies for Their Design |date=August 2018 |url=https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/long-term-low-greenhouse-gas-emission-development-strategies.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2018longterm, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Long-Term Low Greenhouse Gas Emission Development Strategies: Approaches and Methodologies for Their Design}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/long-term-low-greenhouse-gas-emission-development-strategies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }