-
Topic
COP28: Tracking the Energy Outcomes
…For the first time, governments explicitly recognised that to achieve this target, energy-related emissions need to reach net zero by 2050, and they set key goals to help meet this objective – including tripling global renewable energy capacity and doubling global energy efficiency improvements by 2030, and deploying emerging technologies, such as low-emissions hydrogen and carbon capture.The IEA, in collaboration with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat, is tracking progress towards the energy objectives established at COP28. This forms part of our broader work, at the request of governments, to support the full and…
-
Topic
Climate Change
The IEA and the UNFCCC are building consensus on actions to deliver 1.5 °C-aligned energy transitions; and supporting the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement – while deepening existing cooperation on data and capacity building. The IEA and the UNFCCC are building consensus on actions to deliver 1.5 °C-aligned energy transitions; and supporting the next round of Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement – while deepening existing cooperation on data and capacity building. The global energy system is the bedrock of modern economies and societies – providing power to everywhere we live and work…
-
Topic
Net Zero Emissions
…has served as an essential benchmark for policy makers, industry, the financial sector and civil society, was published in 2023.The Roadmap is based on the IEA’s Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Scenario, which portrays a pathway for the global energy sector to achieve net zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 2050 while maintaining energy security. This scenario is consistent with keeping long-term global warming to 1.5 °C with limited overshoot. It also aims to meet key energy-related UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly achieving universal access to modern energy services by 2030. The NZE Scenario is normative…
-
Topic
Investment
…is poised to grow by 2% in 2025 to $3.3 trillion, reaching an all-time high despite elevated geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainty. Around two-thirds of all energy investment, or $2.2 trillion, is destined for clean energy technologies such as renewable energy, grids, battery storage and electric vehicles. Meanwhile, investment in fossil fuels is expected to marginally contract to $1.1 trillion amid downward pressure on prices and pared-back expectations for oil demand.
Rapid growth in spending on energy transitions over the past five years was kicked off by post-pandemic recovery packages, but industrial strat... -
Topic
Energy Innovation
CERT co-ordinates and promotes the development, demonstration and deployment of clean energy technologies. The CERT has established five working parties: the Working Party on Fossil Energy; the Working Party on Renewable Energy Technologies; the Working Party on Energy End-Use Technologies; the Fusion Power Co-ordinating Committee and the Working Party of Industrial Decarbonisation. The CERT has also established an Experts' Group on R&D Priority-Setting and Evaluation (EGRD) to advise on R&D priority-setting, linkages to governmental policy objectives and methods in the evaluation of R&D activities, and an understanding of emerging R&D topics. Energy…
-
Topic
Critical Minerals
Critical minerals are essential for a range of today’s energy technologies and for the broader economy. For example, lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite are crucial to battery performance. Rare earth elements are essential indispensable to the permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors. Electricity networks need a huge amount of aluminium and copper, the latter of which is the cornerstone of all electricity-related technologies. As demand for these materials grows strongly, their strategic importance has also increased – and policymakers have made ensuring secure and resilient mineral supply chains a major priority. Critical Minerals Security…
-
Topic
Energy and Water
Energy and water are deeply and fundamentally connected Water is essential for almost every aspect of producing energy, from electricity generation to fossil fuel extraction to biofuels cultivation. In fact, the energy sector accounts for roughly 10% of all global freshwater withdrawals. Meanwhile, energy is crucial to maintaining global water supply. It is needed to extract water from lakes, rivers and oceans; lift groundwater from aquifers and pump it through pipes and canals; and treat water and deliver it to users.This interdependence is set to intensify in the coming years. Each resource faces rising demand and growing constraints in many…
-
Topic
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as one of the most consequential technologies of our time. In recent years, the capabilities of AI systems have grown quickly due to improved computing power, a boom in data availability and breakthroughs in the design of AI models, leading to rapid adoption by both businesses and individuals. Though significant uncertainties remain, AI has the potential to transform the energy sector in the coming decade. It is set to drive a surge in electricity demand from data centres around the world while also unlocking significant opportunities to cut costs, enhance competitiveness and reduce emissions.To…
-
Topic
Access and Affordability
…Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia, with the aim of promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth through the transition towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient energy sector, while delivering universal and affordable energy access to all. Today, 730 million people around the world live without access to electricity, while over 2 billion people continue to rely on harmful cooking fuels such as charcoal, wood, agricultural waste and animal dung – the use of which is a leading cause of premature death and serious health issues in many of the poorest regions of the world.The IEA is at the forefront…
-
Topic
Energy and Gender
It comprises a number of senior officials from IEA Member countries, facilitating the exchange of best practices on gender equality and inclusion and gender mainstreaming across the energy sector. Women are vital energy consumers, producers and decision-makers who make a crucial contribution to global energy security and energy transitions. Building a more secure, fair and equitable energy future hinges on their active participation.Recognising this, the IEA’s Member countries have asked the Agency to focus on key issues at the nexus of energy and gender, from improving gender data collection to expanding analysis of the gender dimensions of…