Energy efficiency is key to climate action

At the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) in December 2015, countries committed under the Paris Climate Agreement to keep average global temperatures well below 2 degrees Celsius. On top of that, they seek to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius, so as to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.

Fast forward a handful of years later, and we are still facing the urgent need to expand our efforts in order to meet the global climate goals agreed at COP21 in Paris of limiting temperature increase to 1.5͑° Celcius. If we simply carry on with our past energy demand and consumption habits, it will not be enough. Therefore, we must find ways to save energy, while reducing carbon emissions.

In the multitude of scenarios developed by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) for keeping temperature increases to a maximum of two degrees, energy efficiency is essential to achieving the Paris climate goals. In fact, more than 40 percent of the required carbon emission reductions can be attributed to energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency has been dubbed the “first fuel” by the International Energy Agency (IEA), as it is a cost-effective and widely-available resource capable of energy savings that can displace electricity generation from primary energy resources.¹ An increase in energy efficiency will reduce the demand for fossil fuels.² 

The importance of energy efficiency dictates that a step change can be made to help us consume less energy, and achieve an increase in the rate of decarbonisation.² Stone wool solutions offer one such avenue to reaching that goal.

Currently, buildings account for 30 percent of global energy use, and 28 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the energy intensity per square metre of the building sector needs to improve 30 percent by 2030 to meet the Paris climate goals.³ Stone wool products provide us with energy-efficient insulation that can help us save energy and costs, while significantly reducing our negative impact on the climate. 

Ultimately, limiting global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius is an immense challenge. We must take swift action in order to attain our climate goals before it is too late. Thankfully, energy-efficient building materials could serve as a welcome solution to speed up our efforts.

Source(s):

^{1. “Energy Efficiency – The First Fuel for the EU Economy; How to drive new finance for energy efficiency investments” Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group, 2014}

^{2. IPCC AR5 Database, IEA World Energy Outlook 2017, IEA Energy Technology Perspective 2017, EIA International Energy Outlook 2017, Exxon-Mobil Outlook for Energy 2018, BP energy Outlook 2018}

^{3. 2018 Global Status Report, , Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction}