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Energy efficiency first; sufficiency next?

Panel: 3. Policy and governance

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Hannah Förster, Öko-Institut (Institute for Applied Ecology), Germany
Carina Zell-Ziegler, Öko-Institut e.V., Germany
Daniel Eichhorn, Umweltbundesamt (UBA)

Abstract

The European Union has committed to binding 2030 targets: to cutting greenhouse gases by 40 % compared to 1990, to decrease energy consumption by 32.5 % compared to a baseline scenario, and to increase the share of renewable energy to at least 32 % of gross final energy consumption. Energy efficiency first is the key principle of this climate and energy strategy.

For 2050, the EU’s non-binding the ambitious long-term goal is to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80-95% compared to 1990. There are many ways to approach climate protection. Increasing energy efficiency and the expansion of renewable energies are two relatively familiar ways and are regularly part of climate mitigation modelling exercises.

Sufficiency can also contribute to climate protection. Specifically if mitigation goals are very ambitious it could take some burden off technological mitigation options. However, sufficiency is seldom addressed explicitly in stringent climate protection scenarios due to several reasons.

Our study derives a first draft guidance that aims at motivating to systematically integrate sufficiency when modelling stringent climate protection scenarios. In order to do this we characterize German longer-term scenarios with stringent climate protection goals in place. We investigate whether, and if yes how, sufficiency is included in these scenarios. An exemplary look is also taken beyond Germany. We address how sufficiency can be addressed systematically across all sectors included in modelling exercises.

Further the derived draft guidance feeds from the results of an expert meeting that took place in 2018 at the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) in Dessau. 12 German organizations all familiar with modelling climate protection scenarios discussed theses about integrating sufficiency in modelling stringent climate protection.

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