Research challenges the myth that clean energy acts as a brake on global economic development
Achieving the energy-access targets was always going to be a stretch, but progress has been slow elsewhere, too. Take energy efficiency. More energy efficiency means less pollution, and energy efficiency has increased by around 2% annually in the past few years. But meeting the target for 2030 — to double the rate of the 1990–2010 average — would require gains of around 3.4% every year for the rest of this decade.
The picture for renewable energy is similarly mixed. Despite considerable growth in wind and solar power to generate grid electricity, progress in the heat and transport sectors remains sluggish. Renewable energy’s share of total global energy consumption was just 19.1% in 2020, according to the latest UN tracking report, but one-third of that came from burning resources such as wood.
One reason for the slow progress is the continued idea that aggressive clean-energy goals will get in the way of economic development. It’s easier and more profitable for major fossil-fuel producers to simply maintain the status quo. Just last month, ministers from the G20 group of the world’s biggest economies, including the European Union, India, Saudi Arabia and the United States, failed to agree on a plan to phase out fossil fuels and triple the capacity of renewable energy by 2030.
But this is where science has a story to tell. In the past, researchers say, many models indicated that clean energy would be more expensive than that from fossil fuels, potentially pricing the poorest nations out of the market as well as driving up people’s food bills and exacerbating hunger. But the latest research suggests that the picture is more complex. Energy is a linchpin for most of the SDGs, and research that merges climate, energy and the SDGs underscores this.
The biggest challenge lies in translating these models to the real world. To do so, we need leaders who are not bound by outmoded thinking, are aware of the latest science and can draw on the research to build public support for the necessary energy transition. We require more national and international public institutions that are willing to address problems at the system level. And all of this needs a science community that is willing and able to champion knowledge and evidence.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Flood cleanup continues in Tooele County area hit by wildfire last yearThe recent storm has magnified concerns over clean water access for the city of Stockton.
Weiterlesen »
Clean Your Crusty Makeup Brushes (Finally) With This $7 ShampooWhen was the last time you cleaned your makeup brush..... (rhetorical question)
Weiterlesen »
Waste to wings: Start-up aims for clean, sustainable air travel“Twelve uses carbon transformation to address emissions and to enable a world made from air, not oil,' said Twelve Co-Founder and CEO, Nicholas Flanders.
Weiterlesen »
Santa Clara County will pay drug addicts to get cleanSanta Clara County is trying a unique way to intervene in drug addiction by doling out gift cards.
Weiterlesen »
Progress, possible tweaks, and new technology ahead for Project Clean LakeAs the Cuyahoga River runs long, its history with pollution runs deeper. Parts of the river, like Walworth Run, still suffer from an unhealthy amount of sewage.
Weiterlesen »
Nuclear fusion breakthrough: Is cheap, clean energy finally here?Reports suggest the US National Ignition Facility has produced a fusion reaction with a net gain in energy, for only the second time ever, but there are a few important caveats you should know about.
Weiterlesen »