The world needs to decarbonize “seven times faster” than the current pace

The world is falling“well below the objectives” to guarantee a climate future sure, and it needs to decarbonize”seven times faster than you are doing“, as concluded by the ‘Net Zero Economy Index 2023’ report, prepared each year by the consulting firm PwC.

In 2022, no G20 country – responsible for 85% of global CO2 emissions associated with energy – achieved an annual decarbonization rate greater than 8%, the analysis states, while the rate currently required is 17.2%. , a pace that multiplies by seven the global average reached in 2022 (2.5%) and by twelve that of the year 2000 (1.4%).

The study takes into account the projected GDP growth in each country to determine the carbon intensity (CO2/GDP), and calculates that reducing emissions by 43% by 2030 – as recommended by the Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Climate Change the ONU (IPCC)- requires reducing that intensity by 78% in less than seven years.

Although the data show a wide margin for improvement for all countries, some positive points also stand out, such as the rebound in the use of renewable energy last year, which represents, according to PwC ““a hopeful advance” towards a transition “faster and market-driven”.

The photovoltaic energyfor example, registered the highest growth in its history, with 24.4%, and the winda 13.1% rebound that is mainly concentrated in Asia, the United States and Europe.

However, the report emphasizes that “This trend needs to be reflected in a more profound transformation in all sectors of the economy and infrastructure, and that it goes hand in hand with greater support for developing countries.”.