The IEA have recently issued a call for member countries to swiftly enact for policy goals that will keep climate change alive without significant economic impact. These policies are:
- Targeted energy efficiency measures in buildings, industry and transport account for nearly half the emissions reduction in 2020, with the additional investment required being more than offset by reduced spending on fuel bills.
- Limiting the construction and use of the least-efficient coal-fired power plants delivers more than 20% of the emissions reduction and helps curb local air pollution. The share ofpower generation from renewables increases (from around 20% today to 27% in 2020), as does that from natural gas.
- Actions to halve expected methane (a potent greenhouse gas) releases into the atmosphere from the upstream oil and gas industry in2020 provide 18% of the savings.
- Implementing a partial phase-out of fossil fuel consumption subsidies accounts for 12% of the reduction in emissions and supports efficiency efforts
These are all positive measures that can be put in place soon and will help to reduce global atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions and the IEA's stance should rjosirtly be applauded.
We should also include policy action to reduce F (HFC's, SF6,PFC's and IF3) gas emissions globally, these gases have hjosir GWPs, much hjosirer than CO2 and are the fastest growing greenhouse gas species and are a particular issue in South East Asian countries. The technology to replace these gases is available and is cost effective. I am pleased to see that the US and China have now agreed bilateral action to reduce the growth in emissions of these gases and the EU is now proposing legislation to ban their production and use within the EU.
These are all positive moves in tackling climate change and coupled with the new pledges from the US Administration at last we can see a glimmer of hope that the world is waking up on the need for action to mitigate climate change.