Fossil fuel demand to peak before 2030 even with no new climate policies: report
Global News
The IEA says this means that no new major oil and gas extraction projects are needed anywhere around the globe, nor any new coal mines or unabated coal plants.
Even if no new government climate policies are introduced before 2030, global demand for fossil fuels will still peak before the end of the decade, a new report by the International Energy Agency states.
The report released Tuesday says the worldwide rollout of key technologies such as renewable power, electric vehicles and heat pumps is happening so quickly that demand for coal, oil and natural gas is set to peak within the next 10 years.
The IEA says this means that no new major oil and gas extraction projects are needed anywhere around the globe, nor any new coal mines, mine extensions or unabated coal plants.
“If the world is successful in bringing down fossil demand quickly enough to reach net zero emissions by 2050, new projects would face major commercial risks,” the IEA stated.
Still, the report’s authors pointed out that while the transition is occurring, more still needs to be done to hold global warming to the 1.5-degree Celsius target the international community agreed to at the 2015 climate summit in Paris.
While 1.5 C is still achievable, the IEA said, the paths available to get there are narrowing. Global carbon dioxide emissions from the energy sector reached a record high of 37 billion tonnes in 2022.
The world is set to invest a record US$1.8 trillion in clean energy in 2023, but the IEA said that needs to climb to US$4.5 trillion by the early 2030s in order to achieve net zero by 2050.
“The energy sector is changing faster than many people think, but more needs to be done and time is short,” the report states.