CO2 emissions need to reach net zero by 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5°C
Climate change, driven by natural and human factors like fossil fuel use, agriculture, and deforestation, is altering global weather patterns and causing disruptions to water resources, ecosystems, and crop yields. Increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap solar radiation, leading to global warming, especially in oceans. Scientific evidence indicates a higher risk of significant environmental changes if global temperatures rise beyond 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Since 1992, most countries have been part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a treaty providing a framework for international cooperation for combating climate change. This was followed by the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997 which commits its developed country Parties to internationally binding emission reduction targets, and the Paris Agreement in 2015 which sets out an international action plan to limit global temperature rise to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Achieving these targets requires systemic changes in global emission patterns. The energy sector can contribute through demand-side interventions, energy efficiency, flexible systems, and renewable energy sources to help mitigate climate impacts and limit temperature rise.
Learn more about climate change and emissions by exploring our Energy Insights.
For details on the progress in achieving the global and national climate change targets read the New Energy World analyses.
Discover UK energy professionals' views of the best measures to reach emissions targets by reading our annual Energy Barometer.
2023
was the warmest year on record since recordkeeping began in 1880 (NASA)
0billion
metric tonnes of ice per year on average was shed from the Antarctic ice sheet between 2002 and 2023 (NASA)
0%
of greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector in 2022 were CO2 emissions from energy combustion and industrial processes (IEA)
0%
increase in carbon dioxide emissions from flaring was seen from 2022 to 2023 (Statistical Review of World Energy)
What's new?
As global emissions hit record high, world enters climate crunch time, warns UNEP report
30/10/2024
Nations must collectively commit to cutting 42% off annual GHG emissions by 2030 and 57% by 2035 in the next round of Nationally Determined Contributi...
Installed global CCS capacity on track to double once projects being constructed begin operations
30/10/2024
Findings from the Global Status of CCS 2024 report show strong growth in CCS projects across all stages of development. There are a total of 628 proje...
IEA report predicts glut of energy in the near term, provided it is not blocked by geopolitical tensions
23/10/2024
This year’s edition of World Energy Outlook indicates that the world is set to enter a new energy market context in the coming years, marked by contin...
Report highlights disconnection between major international banks’ net zero words and deeds
16/10/2024
Furthermore, 0% of the banks are committed to ending all activities that finance deforestation by 2025, and 0% have explicitly committed to decarbonis...
Renewables on course to meet half of global electricity demand by 2030
16/10/2024
The IEA forecast would be almost three times the increase seen between 2017 and 2023, and roughly equal to the current power capacity of China, the Eu...
Events and training
WPC Energy UK National Committee Expert Workshop 2024
31/10/2024
Explore key challenges and potential solutions on the road to net zero.
Technical guidance publications
Energy retail station sites green guide: opportunities to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
002023
The energy and fuel retail sector is one of many industries expected to undergo considerable disruption in the next decade to meet the emerging challe...
Tripod lite: A ‘lite’ tool for investigating simple incidents, events and near misses
002023
This publication is free to download. Register or log in, then click 'download'.Note: this will download a document 'landing page' that inc...
Research report: Application of life cycle assessment methodology to the understanding of the energy balance and efficiency of hydrogen value chain building blocks
002022
This document is free to download for registered users.This publication explores the efficiencies of the hydrogen energy system and quantifies the ene...
Waste to products – Technology and economic assessment (phase 1)
002022
This document is free to download for registered users.The EMG and Soil Wastes and Groundwater group (SWG) of the EI and Concawe have commissioned E4t...
High level framework for process safety management
002022
In 2010 the EI's Process Safety Committee identified a benefit in promoting a common high-level framework for PSM across the energy industry sectors. ...