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Multiple energy system models are used under jointly adopted deep decarbonisation scenarios to conclude that the direct penetration of electricity and hydrogen in final energy consumption may rise to shares of, respectively, 60% and 6%, in Europe by 2050.

EU emissions trading system carbon prices have surged since 2017. Here the authors consider sources of this increase and note that increased foresight driven by stronger commitment to climate targets has played a role. Prices also run the risk of dropping if policy credibility is undermined.

Recent reforms of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) boosted carbon prices by tightening the cap on emission allowances and increasing political commitment to it, which effectively made actors more farsighted. Policymakers should thus view prices as an indicator of credibility as well as scarcity, and manage potential future drops in the former by renewing commitment to the cap.

This analysis shows that demand-side policies can reduce emissions by 51–85% in buildings and 37–91% in transport by 2050, with electrification having the greatest impact. Adopting a mix of strategies offers benefits for the overall energy system.

Large emission reductions in buildings and transport are possible by integrating demand-side strategies to electrify energy use, improve technological efficiency, and reduce or shift patterns of activity. With enabling policies and infrastructures, final energy users can make significant contributions to climate goals, particularly through widespread deployment of heat pumps and electric vehicles.

This analysis of net-zero strategies designed in an iterative stakeholder dialogue finds that without behavioral change and with restriction of technologies, the target of greenhouse gas neutrality in the European Union cannot be reached.

Energy models play a crucial role in studying mitigation strategies; however, substantial variations among these models exist. This study presents a typology for energy models to map these model differences, based on five dimensions, each characterized by numerous diagnostic indicators.

A model shows how climate targets could be met by 2030 through a politically feasible mix of carbon pricing, low-carbon technology, and energy policy.

The impact of rapidly falling costs of renewable energy and battery technology on long-term climate stabilization pathways is not well understood. Luderer et al. show that reduced renewable costs and climate policies will make electricity the cheapest energy carrier and can lead to electricity accounting for nearly two-thirds of global energy use by mid-century.

Current action is insufficient to meet both the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Integrated model-based analysis shows that strong interventions across many dimensions, together with ambitious lifestyle change, are needed to enable real progress towards the UN Agenda 2030.

Many trajectories for reaching climate change mitigation targets exaggerate the long-term need for CO₂ removal (CDR) because they assume an exponentially increasing carbon price. Here the authors analyse alternative carbon price pathways that halt warming while limiting CDR, and may be easier to implement.

Residual CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels limit the likelihood of meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement. A sector-level assessment of residual emissions using an ensemble of IAMs indicates that 640–950 GtCO₂ removal will be required to constrain warming to 1.5 °C.

There lacks a consistent and holistic evaluation of co-benefits of different mitigation pathways in studies on Integrated Assessment Models. Here the authors quantify environmental co-benefits and adverse side-effects of a portfolio of alternative power sector decarbonisation pathways and show that the scale of co-benefits as well as profiles of adverse side-effects depend strongly on technology choice.

Climate change may affect energy systems by altering energy consumption patterns and production potential, with varying levels of impact across regions. This review synthesizes key findings of climate impact studies in regional and global scenarios and sets the stage for future multi-model assessments to support energy planning.

Despite being currently under-represented in IPCC reports, PV generation represents a growing share of power generation. This Perspective argues that underestimating PV potential led to suboptimal integration measures and that specific deployment strategies for emerging economies should be developed.

A new analysis shows that global warming could be limited to 1.5 °C by 2100, but that the window for achieving this is small and rapidly closing.