IEA Net Zero Roadmap shows narrowing 1.5C path

The IEA’s original Roadmap was published in 2021, outlining a narrow path to reducing emissions in line with the 1.5°C warming limit set out in the Paris Agreement. While there has been significant growth in clean technologies in the intervening years, continued investment in fossil fuels has further narrowed the path to 1.5°C.  

The 2023 report shows that solar generation and EV sales are in line with a 2050 net zero pathway, as is the global manufacturing capacity to maintain their continued growth. Together, the two technologies deliver one-third of the emissions reductions required between today and 2030 in the IEA pathway.  

However, for the pathway to remain viable, total renewables capacity must triple by 2030, while the annual rate of energy efficiency improvements must double, and energy sector methane emissions need to fall by 75 per cent. According to the IEA, these measures are all within scientific and technical means, but global international cooperation is essential to deliver them.