Clean electricity within a generation: Paris-aligned benchmarks for the power sector
When undertaking a journey, a good map is indispensable. As the world moves to address the climate crisis and journey towards a zero-carbon future, roadmaps which demonstrate the pathway to cut emissions fast, fairly and effectively are essential. The broad strokes of a Paris-aligned roadmap are clear – we need to roughly halve emissions by 2030, achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions soon after. However, the details at the national and sectoral level need to be understood. Wind and solar are ready to do the heavy lifting in the energy transition, but while positive signs can be seen in some countries, greater effort will be needed to accelerate renewables deployment. Countries are also continuing to build new coal and gas-fired power plants, representing a critical threat to the Paris Agreement. In this report, the Climate Action Tracker (CAT) provides new 1.5ºC compatible benchmarks for the power sector, for the world as a whole and 16 individual countries, a mix of developed and developing. These are: Austr lia, Brazil, Chile, China, EU27, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Türkiye, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the USA.
