COP28’s Vision for a Net Zero Energy System by 2050
COP28 set ambitious global targets to achieve net zero emissions in the energy sector by 2050. With key actions like tripling renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, the UAE Consensus offers hope in addressing climate change. As COP29 approaches in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11-22, 2024, it’s crucial to revisit COP28’s outcomes and potential impact on global warming and clean energy transitions.
COP29: What Lies Ahead in Baku, Azerbaijan?
Since the UN climate conference-29th Conference of the Parties -COP 29 is approaching, it's time to look at what was decided at COP28 in UAE again.
This year The COP29 will be held in Baku the capital of Azerbaijan from November 11-22,2024.
COP28 delivered both a vision for creating a net zero energy system and a pledge by almost 200 countries to take action to achieve it.
Long due, it arrived at a time when the world continues to break records for energy-related emissions and global temperatures, as well as records for clean energy investment and deployment. Without the surge of clean energy technologies, emissions growth since the Covid-19 pandemic would have been three times larger. Yet the world is still falling far short of its Paris Agreement goals to limit global warming.
Key Goals of COP28’s UAE Consensus
Despite a challenging geopolitical, economic and climate backdrop, countries came together at COP 28 and agreed on the “UAE Consensus,” setting ambitious global energy transition goals.
These include, among others, reaching global net zero emissions in the energy sector by 2050; transitioning away from fossil fuels in line with net zero emissions by 2050; tripling the global installed capacity of renewable energy by 2030; doubling of the rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030; and accelerating the deployment of other critical low-emissions technologies.
Tripling Renewable Energy and Doubling Efficiency by 2030
The tripling renewables and doubling efficiency targets could, on their own, get the world fully two-thirds of the way to a Paris-aligned energy system by 2030. If done correctly, their achievement would reduce the world’s GHG emissions by 10 billion tonnes by the end of the decade compared with what is otherwise expected.
If achieved as part of a comprehensive implementation of the COP28 outcome – balanced across countries, sectors and technologies, and with the necessary enabling infrastructure – this would keep open the path to net zero emissions by 2050 and give a chance – albeit still slim and difficult – of holding warming to 1.5 °C. In contrast, if countries only focus on a subset of the COP28 outcomes, fail to translate them into comprehensive plans and policies, or are slow to develop the necessary enabling infrastructure such as storage and grids, then most of the huge positive potential promised at COP28 will remain unrealised.
Dr. Seema Javed
Environmentalist &A communications professional in the field of Science, climate and energy.
