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Appliances and Equipment
Standards and labelling can lift the average rate of energy efficiency improvement by two to three times
Based on global evidence from countries with Energy efficiency standards and labelling (EES&L) programmes, the average energy efficiency of new major appliances in these countries can increase two to three times the underlying rate of technology improvement. This can result in average energy reductions of 10-30% over 15 to 20 years in the stock of most regulated products across all countries.
In leading countries with strong regulations and long-running programmes which are regularly updated, the contribution could be much higher…
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Steel
Country and regional highlights
Near zero-emission projects advance fastest in Europe, with some progress for low-emissions facilities globally
CO2 emissions
The CO2 emission intensity of steel has been relatively stable in recent years, but needs to drop significantly to align with the NZE Scenario
Energy
A reduction in reliance on coal and an increase in electricity use are required to get on track with the NZE Scenario
Activity
Technology deployment
Innovation
Supporting infrastructure
Policy
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Coal
Global coal demand to remain on a plateau in 2025 and 2026
Despite unusual trends across several major markets in the first half of 2025, global coal demand is likely to remain broadly unchanged to 2027 as underlying structural drivers of the world’s coal use remain stable.
Global coal demand increased to a new all-time high in 2024 of around 8.8 billion tonnes, up 1.5% from 2023, as rising consumption in China, India, Indonesia and other emerging economies more than offset declines in advanced economies in Europe, North America and northeast Asia. However, several of those…
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Behavioural Changes
Country and regional highlights
Governments have supported or mandated behavioural changes in buildings and on roads
CO2 emissions
Behavioural changes can quickly reduce CO2 emissions
Activity
Growth in activity is inevitable as economies develop and populations increase, but behavioural changes can help to offset these increases
Policy
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis have increased the salience of behavioural changes
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Chemicals
Country and regional highlights
Important steps to deploy low-emissions chemicals production technologies are being taken in several regions
CO2 emissions
CO2 emissions must decouple from production by 2030 to get on track with the NZE Scenario
Energy
Energy consumption for feedstock will continue to rise with production, but process energy intensity declines rapidly in the NZE Scenario
Activity
Primary chemical production is set to keep growing in the NZE Scenario
Innovation
Supporting infrastructure