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Demand and Supply Measures for the Steel and Cement Transition
The case for international co-ordination A massive scale-up of markets for transformative near-zero emissions steel and cement is needed to achieve internationally agreed net zero goals. Yet early movers on both the supply- and demand-side – that is, material producers and consumers – face substantial barriers related to high costs and risks, among other factors. This has led to relatively slow market growth for near-zero emissions materials, at a moment when reinvesting in long-lived high-emissions production could have repercussions for governments to achieve their stated climate goals. Policy makers have the opportunity to play a…
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Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency for Business The business value of energy efficiency
Energy efficiency is often described as the “first fuel” because the cheapest and most secure energy is the energy that is not used. For businesses, this begins with a straightforward benefit: lower energy bills. In many cases, efficiency investments can pay back quickly through reduced energy costs alone, improving margins and reducing exposure to price volatility.However, the value of energy efficiency extends beyond energy savings. By improving how equipment, buildings and processes operate, efficiency measures deliver wide-ranging benefits that strengthen business competitiveness across several dimensions: Operational benefits Efficient and electrified equipment operates more reliably and with less stress…
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Canada is set to play a leading role in supplying the world with responsibly produced critical minerals
Commentary Already a mining hub, Canada could play a big part in diversifying global mineral supply chains Since 2023, the IEA has been conducting Critical Mineral Reviews – in-depth country reviews of critical mineral policies and security that have served as part of the Agency’s pioneering work to ensure secure mineral supply chains. The latest Critical Minerals Review of Canada shows that at a time of increasing concentration risks, including from export controls by the dominant supplier, Canada has the potential to contribute to the development of secure, diversified and competitive global supply chains for critical minerals.Canada can…
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Energy Efficiency 2025 Executive summary
Global energy efficiency progress sees improvement in 2025, but remains off track to meet global goal Global energy efficiency progress is set to improve by 1.8% in 2025, up from around 1% in 2024. Preliminary estimates indicate that several key regions are showing some signs of stronger progress compared to their average since 2019. For example, energy intensity progress in 2025 is estimated to be over 3% in the People’s Republic of China (hereafter “China”) and over 4% in India, well above their averages in the years since 2019. In the United States and the European Union (EU…
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Designing an effective strategic stockpiling system for critical minerals
critical minerals 2025 was the year when the risks of highly concentrated critical minerals supply chains materialised at scale The IEA has long warned of the potential security risks associated with the high concentration of critical mineral supply chains. In 2025, these risks became a reality, marking a major turning point for global economic security. The rare earths export controls announced by China in October 2025 posed major national and economic security risks across the world, with potentially severe impacts for a range of strategic sectors including energy, automotive, defence, aerospace, AI and semiconductors. Earlier export controls introduced in April…
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World Energy Outlook 2025 Net Zero Emissions by 2050
Acting now to limit overshoot The Paris Agreement set the global goal of limiting warming to well below 2 °C and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C. The IEA Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE Scenario) translates the 1.5 °C goal into a global pathway for the energy sector. The updated NZE Scenario presented here takes account of the most recent data and trends. Each country will tailor its own path to net zero emissions. The updated NZE Scenario is based on four central pillars that are widely applicable: clean energy electrification, energy efficiency, low-emissions fuels and methane abatement. The…
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Key Questions on Energy and AI Executive summary
The AI and energy nexus continues to evolve rapidly The largest technology companies are contributing to a surge in data centre investment, as their capital expenditure exceeded USD 400 billion in 2025 – and is expected to jump by another 75% in 2026. Capital expenditure of just five technology companies is now larger than global investment in oil and natural gas production. Many jurisdictions are seeing project pipelines accelerate dramatically, although not all projects will come to fruition. Those that are moving forward are doing so at pace: the IEA’s unique satellite-based tracking shows that “artificial intelligence (AI) factories…
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IEA Guide to Reporting Energy Technology RD&D Budgets
This manual, developed by the International Energy Agency (IEA), provides comprehensive guidance for national experts responsible for reporting energy technology research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) budgets. It outlines the methodology and classification system used to collect and structure RD&D data across IEA member countries, ensuring consistency and comparability. The manual is divided into two main sections: fundamentals of RD&D budget reporting and a detailed classification of energy technologies. It defines RD&D in alignment with the OECD Frascati Manual and clarifies the scope of public and private sector reporting. It also provides instructions for completing the IEA…
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Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane Biogas and biomethane outlook to 2050
The landscape for biogases is very different now compared to our last Outlook in 2020, with total demand 32% higher in 2040 in the STEPS than in the New Policies Scenario at the time. Whereas natural gas prices in 2020 were at record lows, the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered interest in developing biomethane to substitute imported natural gas. The revised figure is driven in part by strengthened policy incentives, notably in Europe and China. There is a strong continued use case for biogases in the Outlook scenarios. Electricity's share in total final consumption increases from 20…
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What Next for the Global Car Industry Timeline of corporate strategies
This infographic tracks the evolution of corporate strategies for electrification and electric car sales from some of the world’s biggest carmakers and pure-play electric car manufacturers.
