IEA warns on global warming targets

The International Energy Agency (IEA)has issued a stark warning that global warming is out of control and is "not on track" to limit the global temperature increase to 2 degrees centigrade by 2020.

Its latest World Energy report predicts that climate change could reach between 3.6 degrees centigrade and 5.3 degrees centigrade by this target date, potentially more than doubling the required temperature benchmark.

The report suggests that “much more can be done to tackle energy-sector emissions without jeopardising economic growth”.

Updated estimates from the IEA for global energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2012 reveals a 1.4% increase, reaching a record high of 31.6 gigatonnes, but also mask significant regional differences, according to the organisation.

Maria van der Hoeven, IEA executive director, said: “Climate change has quite frankly slipped to the back burner of policy priorities. But the problem is not going away – quite the opposite.”

In the United States, a switch from coal to gas in power generation helped reduce emissions by 200 million tonnes, bringing them back to the level of the mid 1990s.

China experienced the largest growth in carbon dioxide emissions (300 million tonnes), but the increase was one of the lowest it has seen in a decade, driven by the deployment of renewables and improvements in energy intensity. Despite increased coal use in some countries, emissions in Europe declined by 50 million tonnes, with emissions in Japan increasing by 70 million tonnes.

The IEA said that energy efficiency measures in buildings, industry and transport would account for nearly half the emissions reduction in 2020, with the additional investment required being more than offset by reduced spending on fuel bills.

It welcomed actions on limiting the construction and use of the least-efficient coal-fired power, which it said would lead to 20% of the emissions reduction and would help curb local air pollution.

The IEA also said that the share of power generation from renewables should increase (from around 20% today to 27% in 2020), as should power generation from natural and that actions to halve expected methane released into the atmosphere from the upstream oil and gas industry in 2020 would provide 18% of the savings.

The report also added that implementing a partial phase out of fossil fuel consumption subsidies would account for 12% of the reduction in emissions and support efficiency efforts.