The Breakthrough Agenda Report 2024

The rapid growth of clean energy technologies is making a significant impact, but emissions continue to rise, with progress uneven across regions and sectors. To meet global net zero targets, international collaboration is essential.

Recent milestones like the COP28 agreement on renewable energy are encouraging. However, more widespread collaboration is crucial to achieving climate goals and avoiding a climate crisis. By coordinating global efforts, we can work together to drive innovation.

Summary

POwer

Decarbonizing the power sector is crucial to achieving the 1.5°C climate target, making COP 28’s pledge to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency by 2030 a landmark step forward. However, achieving these ambitious goals requires stronger international collaboration, especially in securing financing, driving innovation, and fostering social engagement.

Road Transport

International collaboration has driven progress in road transport decarbonization, with several high-level agreements signalling a strong commitment to electrification. Electric vehicles (EVs) are leading the charge, but the transition must expand to include medium and heavy-duty vehicles. Further global cooperation is essential, especially in supporting emerging markets and accelerating ZEV (zero-emission vehicle) deployment across all transport sectors.

Steel

The project pipeline for primary near-zero emission steel plants by 2030 has not increased since last year, and more high-emission blast furnaces are anticipated by the end of 2026. While progress has been made on standards and definitions, international assistance for Emerging Markets and Developing Economies, and the expansion of dialogues on the nexus between steel decarbonisation and trade, strengthened international collaboration is needed to create the market conditions that enable investment and commercially viable production of near-zero emission primary steel.

Hydrogen

Despite good progress on shared challenges including standards and certification and financial support, enhanced international action is needed to expand production and firm demand for clean hydrogen to displace fossil-based alternatives.

Agriculture

The 2024 Breakthrough Agenda Report – Agriculture highlights the critical role of agriculture and our food system in greenhouse gas emissions, contributing nearly one-third of the total. Stronger international collaboration is needed to transform the sector into a climate-resilient, low-emissions system, aligned with the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming to 1.5°C-2°C. This year’s report focuses on emissions from fertiliser and livestock. It outlines five key actions to overcome barriers and accelerate the deployment of sustainable technologies emphasising the urgency and achievability of transitioning to more sustainable agriculture.

Buildings

Buildings serve essential functions, from housing and services to communications, and account for more than one-third of global energy-related emissions, making them vital to achieving net-zero by 2050. To curb emissions and adapt to climate change, countries need to adopt shared standards for low-carbon, whole-life-cycle, energy efficient and resilient buildings. Establishing global guidelines and metrics will reduce administrative costs, enhance transparency for investors, and facilitate the widespread adoption of decarbonisation solutions and technologies across the sector. Strong international collaboration is crucial to drive this transition.

Cement & Concrete

Despite reductions across a range of levers, including the roll out of new carbon capture projects, the cement sector must urgently accelerate decarbonisation. A significant ramp-up in policy support, technology deployment, and international collaboration can unlock large-scale emissions reductions and ensure that near-zero emissions cement and concrete becomes more viable at scale by 2030, as we work towards net zero by 2050.

Sector specific goals and action

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