IEA Publications on 'Sustainable Development'

Press Release
Table of Contents
Summary

Type: Studies
Subject: CO2 Emissions ; Electricity ; Energy Efficiency ; Sustainable Development

By 2010 there will be over 3.5 billion mobile phones subscribers, 2 billion TVs in use around the world and 1 billion personal computers. Electronic devices are a growing part of our lives and many of us can count between 20 and 30 separate items in our homes, from major items like televisions to a host of small gadgets. The communication and entertainment benefits these bring are not only going to people in wealthier nations - in Africa, for example, one in nine people now has a mobile phone. But as these electronic devices gain popularity, they account for a growing portion of household energy consumption.

How “smart” is this equipment from an energy efficiency perspective and should we be concerned about how much energy these gadgets use? What is the potential for energy savings?

This new book, Gadgets and Gigawatts: Policies for Energy Efficient Electronics, includes a global assessment of the changing pattern in residential electricity consumption over the past decade and an in-depth analysis of the role played by electronic equipment. It reviews the influence that government policies have had on creating markets for more energy efficient appliances and identifies new opportunities for creating smarter, more energy efficient homes. This book is essential reading for policy makers and others interested in improving the energy efficiency of our homes.

Press Release
Table of Contents
Summary

Type: Studies
Subject: Coal ; Non-OECD Countries ; Sustainable Development ; Technology - RD

China’s rapid economic growth has aroused intense interest around the world. Policy makers, industrialists, investors, environmentalists, researchers and others want to better understand the issues that this populous nation faces as it further develops an already thriving economy largely fuelled by coal. This study sheds light on the Chinese coal supply and transformation sectors.

China’s coal, mined locally and available at a relatively low cost, has brought enormous benefits to energy consumers in China and to those outside the country who enjoy the products of its coal-based economy. Yet from another perspective, China’s coal use has a high cost. Despite progress, health and safety in the thousands of small coal mines lag far behind the standards achieved in China’s modern, large mines. Environmental degradation is a real and pressing problem at all stages of coal production, supply and use. Adding to these burdens, emissions of carbon dioxide are of concern to the Chinese government as it embarks on its own climate protection strategy.

Technology solutions are already transforming the way coal is used in China and elsewhere. This study explores the context in which the development and deployment of these technologies can be accelerated. Providing a large amount of new data, it describes in detail the situation in China as well as the experiences of other countries in making coal cleaner. Above all, the report calls for much greater levels of collaboration – existing bi-lateral and multi-lateral co-operation with China on coal is found lacking. China’s growing openness presents many commercial opportunities. Establishing a global market for cleaner coal technologies is key to unlocking the potential of technology – one of ten major recommendations made in this study.

Free download: Cleaner Coal in China - Annexes

Executive Summary - in Chinese

Cleaner Coal in China - in Chinese

Press Release
Table of Contents
Summary

Type: Studies
Subject: Climate Change ; CO2 Emissions ; Energy Projections ; Sustainable Development

Oil, coal and natural gas will remain the world’s dominant sources of energy over the next decades, with resulting carbon dioxide emissions set to increase to unsustainable levels. However, technologies that help reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuels can reverse this trend. CO2 capture and storage (CCS) is particularly promising. CCS takes CO2 from large stationary sources and stores it in deep geological layers to prevent its release into the atmosphere.
At their Gleneagles summit in 2005, G8 leaders asked the IEA to advise on alternative energy scenarios and strategies aimed at a “clean clever and competitive energy future”, and to work on accelerating the development and commercialization of CCS.

CO2 Capture and Storage: A Key Carbon Abatement Option responds to the G8 request. The study documents progress toward the development of CCS:

• Capture, transportation and storage technologies and their costs
• Storage capacity estimates
• Regional assessment of CCS potential
• Legal and regulatory frameworks
• Public awareness and outreach strategies
• Financial mechanisms and international mechanisms

The IEA study discusses also the role of CCS in ambitious new energy scenarios that aim for substantial emissions reduction. This publication elaborates the potential of CCS in coal-fuelled electricity generation and estimates for capture in the industry and fuel transformation sectors. Finally, it assesses the infrastructure needed to process and transport large volumes of CO2.

With an updated roadmap of CCS development needs in the near and long term, this publication equips decision makers in the public and private sector with essential information that is needed for accelerating its demonstration and deployment in a sustainable manner.

Executive Summary in French