Sustainability

WHAT'S NEXT?: Preparedness and mitigation plans to increase resilience and reduce economic impact will be crucial over the coming years.

• [New] Meeting the infrastructure-related Sustainable Development Goals in 2030 will require additional investment spending between 2015-30 of roughly 7 percent of GDP per year in SSA (excluding maintenance spending) - the highest of all EMDE regions.
• [New] An oceans treaty will be agreed, biodiversity targets announced, it's the first opportunity for nations to increase their climate goals, and the start of the decade to scale action for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
• [New] A pathway towards meeting the aims of the Paris Agreement will require a shift in investments away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy, electrification technologies and efficiency that would require an additional USD 15 trillion over the period to 2050.
• Renewables and sustainable energy will attract 85% of all new energy sector investment next year while demand for fossil fuels remains high.
• African governments are halfway through the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (2014-2023) of the African Union's Agenda 2063, and have 10 years left to achieve the globally agreed 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• bBaseline forecast sees the global economy moving to a slower and more sustainable path in a reasonably orderly fashion in the next year or two.
• A huge market would emerge with almost USD 90 trillion of investments needed for renewable energy, electrification technologies and energy efficiency by 2050 in the REmap Case.
• Coordination of sustainable development policies, including the implementation of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development, which aims to make Morocco's economy green and inclusive by 2030.
• If emissions were to stay flat, at the net-zero level, from 2070 until the end of the century, then the Sustainable Development Scenario is likely to limit the rise in the average global temperature to 1.8 °C, which is broadly equivalent to a 50% probability of a stabilisation at 1.65 °C.
• Resilience will become increasingly important in the coming years as the UK's economic infrastructure faces the challenges of climate change, increasing population and adapting to advances in technology.
• The sustainability of the annuity-based reimbursement model will unlock commercialization potential of gene therapies and achieve revenue of $2 billion by the end of 2020.
• With the global cost of corruption estimated at $2.6 trillion per year, equivalent to 5% of global gross domestic product, the world is deprived of resources that could help fund commitments under the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
• Global oil demand is expected to grow by 1 million barrels per day (bpd) on average to 2025, but is forecast to slow to 100,000 bpd a year from then on as fuel efficiency improves and more electric vehicles hit the road for the period to 2040.
• In the long-term, World Energy Outlook 2018 - which included a special focus on electricity - sees variable renewables covering more than 20% of global power demand by 2040 in the central New Policies Scenario, and nearly 40% in the Sustainable Development Scenario.
• The Energy transition from fossil fuel to renewables, energy efficiency measures and universal access through sustainable energy resources will significantly contribute to climate mitigation action.
• One billion tons of sustainable biomass could generate up to 50 billion gallons of biofuels to help displace imported oil to the US, produce 50 billion pounds of biobased chemicals and bioproducts, and generate enough electricity to power 7 million households.
• If the multiple co-benefits associated with closing the emissions gap are fully realized, the required transition will contribute in an essential way to achieving the United Nations 2030 Agenda with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Emissions from the energy sector due to primary energy intensity and inefficient applications in the end use sector (SDG 7.3) Goal 7.3 strives for doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.
• With climate change in the headlines and the UK Government committing to a 'Net Zero' carbon target for the UK by 2050, today UK aviation has come together to reaffirm its commitment to a sustainable future.
• In the UK, where the aviation market is relatively mature, demand for aviation is still expected to grow by around 1-3% annually to 2050, while global growth rates are 4-5% per annum, easily outstripping ICAO' s' s aspirational target of annual 2% efficiency gains until 2050.
• Nation-wide adoption of state-level energy efficiency commitments: Washington, Colorado and Hawaii have joined states like Vermont in setting energy and water efficiency standards for a range of appliances that will save residents more than $3 billion on their utility bills over the next 15 years.
• $1 million spent on fossil fuels in the U.S. will generate 2-3 full-time equivalent jobs, while $1 million spent on renewable energy or energy efficiency will create 7-8 jobs.

See full forecast

Last updated: 18 January 2020