Decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors with renewables: Perspectives for the G7

The Paris Agreement goal to limit global surface temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century requires the swift decarbonisation of all sectors of the economy by 2050. However, some industrial and transport sub-sectors are significant greenhouse gas emitters and are harder to decarbonise due to their physical, technological or market-specific circumstances. Sectors that are particularly hard-to-abate include heavy-duty trucking, shipping, aviation, iron and steel, and chemicals and petrochemicals. These sectors alone account for approximately one-quarter of the world's energy consumption and around one-fifth of total CO2 emissions. Whilst their full decarbonisation will require a combination of approaches, effective emission reduction pathways for these sectors rely primarily on renewable energy and energy efficiency. →