the weekend, 118 countries at the COP28 climate summit has pledged to triple the world’s renewable power capacity and double the rate of improvements in energy efficiency by 2030. The deal resonated a recent report by the International Energy Agency, or IEA, which called those targets essential to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit). Now delegates are asking for the same obligations included in the conference’s final decisionwhich will summarize the actions that countries plan to take to address the climate crisis.
Energy experts told Grist that the pledge is a sign that energy efficiency, a relatively overlooked climate solution, is gaining momentum on the world stage. Compared to tripling renewable energy, energy efficiency – which the IEA defines as using less energy to achieve the same economic output – has received much less attention in the run-up to this year’s conference. A recent one climate agreement between the US and Chinafor example, did not mention doubling energy efficiency improvements, while s G20 statement of September just “take[s] note” of the target.
But according to the IEA, doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency would achieve progress 50 percent of the emission reductions required by 2030. This makes it the single largest measure for limiting warming to 1.5 degrees C. To achieve that goal, billions of stoves will be shifted from wood and coal to lower emission fuels, reducing energy demand and -consumption, and setting stricter device standards. This last target is especially essential as demand for air conditioning is soaring worldwide amid record-high heat.
Energy efficiency “doesn’t get nearly the focus it needs,” said Steven Nadel, executive director of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, a nonprofit research organization. “Efficiency and renewable energy should be like peanut butter and jelly. It’s hard to imagine one without the other.”
James Newcomb, a senior expert at the clean energy nonprofit RMI, said he’s not surprised that policymakers sometimes neglect energy efficiency. One reason may be human nature: People have a tendency to solve problems by adding things, rather than cutting back. This “additive bias,” as scientists call it, policymakers may be inclined to build large solar and wind farms instead of reducing energy consumption.
Another factor is that projects like renewable power plants create “concentrated pools of profits,” Newcomb said, making their benefits easily quantifiable. They are also backed by industry groups. Energy efficiency measures, on the other hand, are implemented in a wide range of sectors, from buildings to transport to appliances, and their benefits are much more widespread.
According to the IEA, global energy efficiency will improve by about 2 percent in 2022. Doubling means the world’s efficiency progress needs to reach an annual rate of 4 percent by 2030. So far, it’s heading in the wrong direction, with an estimated improvement of 1.3 percent in 2023.
To reach the 4 percent annual goal, Nadel and other energy efficiency experts say states must implement stronger building codes and retrofit initiatives to equip buildings with better insulation, LED lighting and more efficient water heaters. Newcomb said governments also need to implement more efficient building designs to use less steel, concrete and other materials in construction. Countries should also scale up the adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps and other electrical appliances, which use much less energy than their fossil fuel-powered counterparts. EVs are two to four times more efficient than traditional combustion engines, while heat pumps are up to five times more efficient than oil and gas boilers.
The IEA is also calling for $8 billion in annual investments to expand developing countries’ access to “clean cooking,” which refers to cookstoves that use lower-emission energy sources such as liquefied petroleum gas, electricity and ethanol instead of traditional fuels such as wood, coal, and kerosene. According to the agency, nearly 2.3 billion people in 130 countries, mainly in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, do not have access to clean cooking.
Another essential strategy is to create stricter efficiency standards for household appliances, vehicles and other appliances. Those standards are especially important as global demand for air conditioning is projected more than triple by 2050. As heat waves intensify due to climate change, access to air conditioning is increasingly a matter of life or death. Yet most air conditioning units sold today, according to Newcomb, do not use the most efficient technology possible due to cost constraints.
“Once purchased, these units remain operational for years, sometimes decades,” said David Ripin, chief scientific officer at the Clinton Health Access Initiative. which is working to grow the market for energy-efficient ACs in low- and middle-income countries. “There is great urgency to make the most efficient units available with as little price premium as possible.”
All these energy efficiency measures will yield a host of benefits, said Clara Camarasa, an energy efficiency policy analyst at the IEA. The agency’s analysis found that doubling the annual rate of energy efficiency progress would create 4.5 million jobs worldwide in construction, retrofitting, transportation and other sectors, and potentially energy bills by a third in advanced economies such as the USA will reduce.
The IEA also singled out behavioral changes – such as taking fewer flights, using more public transport and using less energy for heating and cooling – as another way to reduce energy demand. Newcomb said it’s a reminder that managing energy use, along with expanding renewable energy, is an essential part of reducing global emissions.
“Trying to solve everything through decarbonisation while going full tilt with relentless increases in consumption is really, really difficult,” he said.
