IEA - 2050 Report

 The International Energy Agency is not known as a hot bed of tree huggers. It has been one of the oft quoted sources of the Australian Liberal (they are conservative) Party's thoughts about energy policy... but they have dropped a new report outlining the viable pathway to net zero emissions by 2050.

It is a huge document with lots of stuff in it, and I am not an expert in these things... but I consider myself a reasonably sensible and intelligent person... and interested in the future of the human species. So in the context of this blog I wanted to highlight a few things it mentions in terms of our built environment.

By 2030 - all new buildings need to be zero-carbon-ready. That is quite soon! I would be curious as to our current level, but it is almost certainly a very small proportion and not increasing fast enough to meet this target.

By 2040 - 50% of existing buildings need to be retrofitted to zero-carbon-ready levels.  "Around 2.5% of existing residential buildings in advanced economies are retrofitted each year to 2050 in the NZE to comply with zero‐carbon‐ready building standards (compared with a current retrofit rate of less than 1%)".

By 2050 - More than 85% of buildings need to be zero-carbon-ready.

All of those are considered achievable, but policies around building practices need to change fast. Energy‐related building codes are introduced in all regions by 2030 to ensure that virtually all new buildings constructed are zero‐carbon‐ready.”

Of particular interest to me. "Energy efficiency measures – including improving building envelopes and ensuring that all new appliances brought to market are the most efficient models available – play a key role in limiting the rise in electricity demand in the NZE." In the parts of the report that I've digested it seem particularly clear that existing building technologies and techniques (such as passive house) can do what needs to be done. What needs it happen is that more people need to build to these standards.

So how about it? Can we make the needed changes to achieve Net Zero by 2050? The IEA has outlined a clear pathway with clear targets... it is now up to countries like ours to make it happen.

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