The  energy  sector  is  the  source  of  around  three‐quarters  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions today  and  holds  the  key  to  averting  the  worst  effects  of  climate  change,  perhaps  the greatest challenge human kind has faced. Reducing global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions to net zero by 2050 is consistent with efforts to limit the long‐term increase in average global temperatures to 1.5 °C. This calls for nothing less than a complete transformation of how we produce,  transport and consume energy. The growing political consensus on  reaching net zero  is  cause  for  considerable  optimism about  the  progress  the world  can make,  but  the changes required to reach net‐zero emissions globally by 2050 are poorly understood. A huge amount of work is needed to turn today’s impressive ambitions into reality, especially given the range of different situations among countries and their differing capacities to make the necessary changes. This special IEA report sets out a pathway for achieving this goal, resulting in a clean and resilient energy system that would bring major benefits for human prosperity and well‐being.

The  global  pathway  to  net‐zero  emissions  by  2050  detailed  in  this  report  requires  all governments to significantly strengthen and then successfully implement their energy and climate  policies.  Commitments  made  to  date  fall  far  short  of  what  is  required  by  that pathway.  The  number  of  countries  that  have  pledged  to  achieve  net‐zero  emissions  has grown rapidly over the last year and now covers around 70% of global emissions of CO2. This is a huge step forward. However, most pledges are not yet underpinned by near‐term policies and measures. Moreover, even if successfully fulfilled, the pledges to date would still leave around 22 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions worldwide in 2050. The continuation of that trend would be consistent with a temperature rise in 2100 of around 2.1 °C. Global emissions fell in  2020  because  of  the  Covid‐19  crisis  but are already  rebounding  strongly as economies recover. Further delay in acting to reverse that trend will put net zero by 2050 out of reach.

In this Summary for Policy Makers, we outline the essential conditions for the global energy sector  to  reach  net‐zero  CO2  emissions  by  2050. The  pathway  described  in  depth  in  this report achieves this objective with no offsets from outside the energy sector, and with low reliance on negative emissions technologies. It is designed to maximise technical feasibility, cost‐effectiveness  and  social  acceptance  while  ensuring  continued  economic  growth  and secure energy supplies. We highlight the priority actions that are needed today to ensure the opportunity of net zero by 2050 – narrow but still achievable – is not lost. The report provides a  global  view,  but  countries  do  not  start  in  the  same  place  or  finish  at  the  same  time: advanced  economies  have  to  reach  net  zero  before  emerging  markets  and  developing economies, and assist others in getting there. We also recognise that the route mapped out here is a path, not necessarily the path, and so we examine some key uncertainties, notably concerning the roles played by bioenergy, carbon capture and behavioural changes. Getting to net zero will involve countless decisions by people across the world, but our primary aim is to inform the decisions made by policy makers, who have the greatest scope to move the world closer to its climate goals.