ABSTRACT
Buildings, transport and industry are major sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Their reduction at scale requires the introduction of stringent public policies. Reaching ‘real zero’ will require a transformation in the energy efficiency of the building stock, and how they are heated and cooled. This chapter explores how energy use in buildings can be reduced and the technologies through which zero-carbon heating and cooling will be delivered. In respect of transport the great majority of transport emissions come from burning fuels made from oil, and the majority of those emissions come from road transport. Because there is no technology to capture tailpipe CO2 emissions, the only way of eliminating them is to substitute away from oil products, using instead batteries, biofuels, synfuels, fuel cells, or hydrogen. The chapter looks in detail at the implications of these alternatives in the different modes of transport, and at various measures that could reduce the overall demand for private cars. With industry the second-largest direct emitter of GHGs after the energy sector, industrial decarbonisation is clearly critical to real zero. The International Energy Agency (IEA) shows how emissions in this sector can be reduced by 95% by 2050. The chapter looks at industry overall before focusing on the three most energy-intensive sectors – iron and steel, chemicals and cement, and the issue of fluorinated gas (F-gas) reduction.
