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Rail
Country and regional highlights
Europe targets modernisation of the rail network and India rapid electrification, while China is expanding its network with a focus on high-speed rail
CO2 emissions
Rail is the least emissions-intensive mode of passenger transport – its expansion will help reduce overall emissions
Energy
Expansion of electric trains continues rapidly in the NZE Scenario, particularly to replace diesel-powered freight trains
Activity
Innovation
Policy
Acknowledgements
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Biofuels
Country and regional highlights
The United States Inflation Reduction Act makes USD 9.4 billion available for biofuels
Energy
Biofuel demand increased by 6% in 2022, continuing the recent pace of growth
Technology deployment
Biofuel production technology needs to diversify to sustainably take advantage of existing waste and residue feedstocks
Innovation
Technologies that can convert woody feedstocks into biofuels need to be proven at scale in the next few years
Supporting infrastructure
Policy
Investment
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Oil
Oil
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Cars and Vans
More stringent and broader coverage of fuel efficiency standards for light-duty vehicles is needed
For cars and vans, increasing fuel efficiency standards is important as even in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario, nearly 80% of cars and vans on the road in 2030 are still powered with internal combustion engines. Sales of heavier, less efficient SUVs reached around 46% of global sales in 2022, while electric vehicles were just 14% of sales. More and more countries are formulating vehicle efficiency standards and some are even putting in place zero-emission vehicle sales requirements. To be in line…
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Trucks and Buses
Electrification of road transport goes beyond cars and the ambition is growing
Globally, almost 50 000 electric buses were sold in 2023, equating to 3% of total bus sales and bringing the global stock to approximately 635 000 in total. Several European countries (such as Belgium, Norway and Switzerland) and China achieved sales shares above 50% in 2023, and more than one-fifth of bus sales were electric in Canada, Chile, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Sweden.
Sales of electric trucks increased 35% in 2023 compared to 2022, meaning that total sales of electric trucks surpassed electric buses for…
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District Heating
Country and regional highlights
Momentum for change is growing within the district heating industry
CO2 emissions
Decarbonisation efforts have not yet been sufficient to curb associated emissions
Energy
Despite large potential for the integration of renewable sources and recycled heat, fossil fuels dominate district heat supplies globally
Deployment
The district heating industry is transitioning to lower-temperature networks and integrating renewable energy sources
Innovation
Policy
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Demand Response
Country and regional highlights
Notable progress to advance demand response is being made
Activity
Demand response markets are expanding, but greater effort is needed to align with the Net Zero Scenario
Technology deployment
Enabling technologies offer high flexibility potential, although deployment is still lagging
Innovation
Innovative solutions and approaches are being tested to expand residential participation in demand response
Policy
International collaboration
Acknowledgements
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Hydrogen
Low-emissions hydrogen projects are set to grow strongly despite wave of cancellations and persistent challenges
Worldwide hydrogen demand increased to almost 100 million tonnes in 2024, up 2% from 2023 and in line with overall energy demand growth. The vast majority of this was met by hydrogen produced from fossil fuels without measures in place to capture associated emissions. Sectors that have traditionally used hydrogen, such as oil refining and industry, remained the biggest consumers.
The uptake of low-emissions hydrogen is not yet meeting the expectations set by industry and governments in recent years, especially in light of…
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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
Material efficiency strategies are required to balance demand growth
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Gas Flaring
CO2 emissions
The volumes of natural gas flared in 2022 were around the same level as in 2010
Technology deployment
Oil producers have a range of readily available options to reduce and avoid flaring, with a number of new technologies also under development
Policy
A number of countries have introduced policies to reduce flaring
Investment
Operators that sell high-flaring assets are often passing on a problem to other operators that may be less willing, or less able, to cut down on flaring