Technologies are available to reduce non-CO2 emissions in the EU by up to 50% in 2050

Key findings

  • Technologies are available to reduce non-CO2 emissions in the EU by up to 50% between 2005 and 2050.

  • With current policies, non-CO2 GHG emissions of the EU-27 are likely to decline by between 26 and 44 percent between 2005 and 2050 depending on the future carbon price level.

  • The additional potential for low cost mitigation of non-CO2 GHGs in the EU in 2050 comes primarily from reduction in N2O emissions from soils and control of HFC emissions from refrigeration in commercial and industry sectors.

Abstract:

The paper describes the development of emission scenarios for non-CO2 greenhouse gases in the European Union as consistent with the energy scenarios used for the EU Low carbon Roadmap 2050. The analysis includes estimates of technical mitigation potentials and costs for mitigation of these gases until 2050 in the 27 EU member states.

Results show that it would be technically possible to cut overall emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases by about half between base year 2005 and 2050 in both of the energy scenarios defined. The adoption of mitigation efforts already in the baseline will, however, significantly depend on the expected development in the carbon price levels in the EU-ETS and non-ETS sectors.

Reference:

L. Höglund-Isaksson, W. Winiwarter, P. Purohit, P. Rafaj, W. Schöpp, Z. Klimont: EU low carbon roadmap 2050: Potentials and costs for mitigation of non-CO2 greenhouse gas emissions, Energy Strategy Reviews, In Press, Published online 22 June 2012.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2211467X12000168


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Last edited: 22 July 2013

CONTACT DETAILS

Lena Höglund Isaksson

Senior Research Scholar Pollution Management Research Group - Energy, Climate, and Environment Program

Wilfried Winiwarter

Senior Research Scholar Pollution Management Research Group - Energy, Climate, and Environment Program

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