Author: IEA Publications

Published/Created by: International Energy Agency (IEA)

Link: https://www.iea.org/reports/empowering-cities-for-a-net-zero-future

More than 50% of the world’s population currently lives in cities, and that figure is expected to increase to almost 70% by 2050. Cities generate around 70% of global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. As societies recover from the Covid-19 pandemic, CO2 rates are rebounding rapidly. The increase in global energy - related CO2 in 2021 is expected to be the second largest in recorded history. Cities are a global economic engine, responsible for 80% of global GDP, and represent a major opportunity to accelerate progress towards ambitious climate goals. These factors make the decarbonisation of cities a global priority and of special significance to achieving national commitments and objectives. This report illustrates the wide range of opportunities, challenges and policy solutions that can help city-level governments capture the significant value in efficient and smart digital energy systems, no matter their unique context. The report clarifies that digitalisation is driving sustainable energy transitions. Today’s constantly evolving technology landscape creates new sources of rich data on air quality, energy consumption, geospatial information and traffic patterns, and new tools to manage that data. They can help cities make smarter, better-informed decisions, especially on issues relating to sustainable urban planning and operations.