24 November 2014
SDSN Outlines Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the US
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The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) has released a report demonstrating that the US could achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 1990 levels by 2050.

Using intentionally conservative economic assumptions and existing or near-commercial technologies, the report creates four low-carbon scenarios, all leading to the 80% cut, which translates into an 83% reduction over 2005 levels.

unsdsn20 November 2014: The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) has released a report demonstrating that the US could achieve an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions below 1990 levels by 2050. Using what the report indicates are conservative economic assumptions and existing or near-commercial technologies, the report creates four low-carbon scenarios, all leading to the 80% cut, which translates into an 83% reduction over 2005 levels.

The report, titled ‘Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States,’ is based on various scenarios that differ by their electricity portfolios: the ‘High Renewables Case’ depends primarily on electricity generated from renewable energy; the ‘High Nuclear Case’ on nuclear; the ‘High CCS Case’ on fossil fuels with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS); and the ‘Mixed Case’ on a balanced combination of renewables, nuclear and CCS. All four scenarios presented in the report achieve the “80 by 2050” goal without premature retiring of infrastructure, and all account for the energy services that will be needed with economic growth.

The report’s authors emphasize that implementing any of the scenarios would not be prohibitively expensive. While many uncertainties enter into the equation, the report estimates that net costs would be approximately 1% of gross domestic product (GDP) per year. The authors recommend taking a multifaceted technology approach to reach “80 by 2050.” They stress that energy efficiency is a key component in all scenarios, and include: energy-saving measures in buildings; transportation; and industry, such as smart materials and designs, and integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into the grid.

DDPP, a project of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), commissions reports to find practical pathways for keeping the world within a 2°C limit on warming. The US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Energy and Environmental Economics, Inc (E3) co-authored the report for the SDSN DDPP.

Launched by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in August 2012, SDSN mobilizes scientific and technical expertise from academia, civil society and the private sector in support of sustainable development problem solving at local, national and global scales. [SDSN Press Release] [DDPP Website] [Publication: Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States]

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