Climate Action 2016-2017

TECHNOLOGY, TRANSPORT & URBANISATION
term development of walking and cycling
infrastructure. For energy efficiency, cities can
take a leading role in adopting, monitoring
and enforcing building energy codes for new
construction.
Urban density offers a significant
opportunity for emissions reductions as less
energy is needed to fulfil the same needs for
things like heating and cooling. Equally, urban
infrastructure design can curb transportrelated
carbon emissions by reducing trips
and trip distances, shifting activity to public
transport, and promoting adoption of more
efficient, low-carbon vehicles. Local and
national policy decisions are key to shaping
this future, through regulations on landuse
planning, building codes and vehicle
standards, pricing policies, and support for
uptake of non-motorised and electric mobility.
If this full transformation of urban energy
systems could be realised, it would mean that
CO 2
emissions from urban energy use could be
reduced by 75 per cent in 2050 compared with
the track we are on today.
This long-term shift ultimately moves
the energy system away from fossil fuel
combustion, while also making significant
progress on combating air pollution. This
is because the root causes of air pollution
can be found in the energy sector. Coal is
responsible for sulphur dioxide emissions
– a cause of respiratory illnesses and a
precursor of acid rain – while transport fuels,
such as diesel, generate nitrogen oxides
and particulate matter that can contribute
to serious health issues such as asthma,
lung cancer and heart disease. Cities can
easily become pollution hotspots. The impact
of vehicle emissions is heightened by the
fact that they are discharged at street level,
where pedestrians walk and breathe. This is
a problem that will not go away tomorrow,
despite strong efforts.
This makes the urgent case for taking
action today. In the near term, the World
Energy Outlook Special Report: Energy and
Air Pollution proposes a set of policies
to avoid pollutant emissions while at the
same time taking steps towards fulfilling
Paris Agreement obligations. These policies
include, among others, stronger efficiency
policies for appliances and buildings, higher
vehicle emission standards, reduced sulphur
content in fuels, and a phase-out of fossil
fuel consumption subsidies. This ‘Clean Air
Scenario’ requires a small increase of 7 per
cent in investment. But the benefits are
massive: saving over 3 million lives in 2040
while providing energy access for all and
"Confronting the
twin challenge of
CO 2
emissions and
air pollution means
dispensing with shortterm
thinking and stopgap
solutions."
contributing to a peak in global CO 2
emissions
by 2020 (Figure 2).
ENERGY ACCESS
In 2013, an estimated 1.2 billion people – 17
per cent of the global population – lacked any
access to electricity, and an estimated 2.7
billion relied on burning wood, charcoal, and
agricultural waste to meet their cooking and
heating needs, typically using inefficient stoves
in poorly ventilated spaces. Solving both these
problems together, expanding energy access
and improving air quality can be mutually
supportive. Overall, the extra impetus to the
energy transition from the Clean Air Scenario
means that global energy demand would
be 13 per cent lower in 2040 than otherwise
expected and, of the energy that is combusted,
three-quarters would be subject to advanced
pollution controls. These measures would have
a dramatic impact on key pollutants, reversing
the current trend towards worsening air
pollution in many countries, particularly fastgrowing
Asia and Africa.
On top of these benefits, the Clean Air
Scenario provides a pragmatic first step
toward achieving the climate goal agreed in
"the global fight against
climate change and air
pollution will be won or
lost in the megacities
of the world’s emerging
economies."
the Paris Agreement. For developing countries
embarking for the first time on CO 2
emission
reduction goals, the associated benefits for air
quality could be a powerful driver of action.
Confronting the twin challenge of CO 2
emissions and air pollution means dispensing
with short-term thinking and stop-gap solutions.
IEA analysis shows that proven energy policies
and technologies can chart a new sustainable
path for urbanisation that delivers major cuts in
air pollution around the world and bring health
benefits, broader access to energy and improve
sustainability. In the spirit of the Paris Agreement,
this is a time for bold, ambitious and strategic
decision-making.
It is no exaggeration to say that the global
fight against climate change and air pollution
will be won or lost in the megacities of the
world’s emerging economies. Cities are
naturally positioned to make these kinds of
changes. In my role as Executive Director of
the IEA I have been fortunate to travel to many
of the world’s great cities, and I have seen
first-hand their great potential. The density
of human, economic and intellectual capital
in these cities can and should be a driving
force for the acceleration of clean energy
development and deployment for the decades
to come.
Dr Fatih Birol is Executive Director of the
IEA. Prior to assuming his current duties, he
held the positions of Chief Economist and
Director of Global Energy Economics, with
responsibilities that included directing the
flagship World Energy Outlook publication
(www.worldenergyoutlook.org). Prior to
joining the IEA in 1995, Dr Birol worked for a
number of years as an oil market analyst at
the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) in Vienna. He has been
named by Forbes magazine among the most
powerful people in terms of influence on the
world’s energy scene. He is the Chairman of
the World Economic Forum’s (Davos) Energy
Advisory Board and serves as a member of
the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on
Sustainable Energy for All.
The International Energy Agency (IEA,
www.iea.org) is an autonomous organisation
which works to ensure reliable, affordable
and clean energy for its 29 member countries
and beyond. The IEA has four main areas of
focus: energy security, economic development,
environmental awareness and engagement
worldwide.
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