The World's Leading Energy Adviser Has Turned A Shade Green

Sydney Morning Herald - Nick O'Malley

Simple changes in household behaviour could save thousands of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas. That's the nugget that lies buried in the midst of International Energy Agency's latest report, which looks at pathways that global economies might take to cut emissions.

The inclusion of the data on behaviour changes in the IEA's flagship annual report – the World Energy Outlook – raised eyebrows among some of the group's critics, because it appeared to underscore a shift in its attitude towards climate change.

Executive Director of the International Energy Agency Dr Fatih Birol at a press conference in Canberra with Josh Frydenberg in 2016 when the current treasurer was serving as energy minister. Credit: Sean Davy

The IEA was set up by the world's richest nations to provide advice on how to avoid a repeat of the 1970s oil crisis. As a result, says Dr Sven Teske, a research director at UTS's Institute for Sustainable Futures, it has tended to underplay the significance of climate change and underestimate the rapid spread and cost decline of renewables.

This year, though the IEA's director, Dr Fatih Birol, has been calling on governments to focus on green post-COVID-19 stimulus packages, arguing that only this way can we hope to meet crucial Paris Agreement targets.

"The coronavirus crisis is already doing significant damage around the world," he wrote in March. "Rather than compounding the tragedy by allowing it to hinder clean energy transitions, we need to seize the opportunity to help accelerate them."

Also this year, the 'Outlook' paper for the first time declared that coal was in terminal decline, with gas and then oil to follow in the foreseeable future, and it laid out a scenario on how those nations hoping to reach net zero emissions targets might do so.

This is where the study of our simple daily habits and their impact on climate change comes in.

For example, the IEA estimates that if people in the United States and Australia sought to cool their indoor environments via air-conditioning by just 1 degree celsius less we would cut associated emissions by 8 to 11 per cent on average.

Savings would be more modest in developing nations, where people depend more on fans than on air conditioners, but globally if we set cooling targets 3 degrees higher we would save around 34 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

If drivers increased the settings on air conditioners in their cars, millions more tonnes would be saved. According to the IEA's research car air conditioning accounts for between 3 per cent and 20 per cent of fuel consumption, depending on climate. If car drivers were to turn up the air conditioning by three degrees, this would reduce emissions from cars by almost 4 per cent, or 90 million tonnes of emissions per year by 2030.

The IEA estimates that on average, clothes dryers alone use around 8 per cent of global energy consumption for domestic appliances. If line-drying were to replace half of this demand (for drying during the six sunniest months of the year) this would save around 70 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions this year, falling to to 30 million tonnes in 2030 as the energy intensity of electricity-powered dryers reduces.

The IEA cites studies showing that washing clothes at 30 degrees instead of 40 degrees (the temperature most commonly used) would reduce energy consumption by around one-third, with similar savings for any other 10 degree reduction by 2030, this would save around 15 million tonnes of emissions, or just under two per cent of those produced by household appliances.

Working from home may also reduce emissions, according to the World Energy Outlook, though the calculations here are more complex. People who have short commutes or do not drive to work might offset any emissions savings in transport by increased domestic energy consumption, but globally the IEA estimates that about 15 per cent of jobs could be performed from home, with more in developed nations than in developing nations.

Taking into account differences in the types of vehicles used for commuting across different regions, the IEA estimates that if everyone able to do so were to work one extra day at home per week, this would save around 25 million tonnes of emissions globally in 2020, reducing to 18 million tonnes per year by 2030 as cars become more efficient.

A further 100 million tonnes could be saved if ride sharing increased to account for half of all urban trips.

The paper makes it clear that if we are to have any change of meeting Paris Targets the vast majority of emissions savings must be made by the immediate and determined efforts of governments, industry and financial markets backed by close cross-border cooperation.

But the IEA does make the case that in the most ambitious scenario it charts – the one in which nations seek to reach net zero – behavioural changes will need to be adopted as well.

Even in this case though political action is crucial. The IEA estimates that around 60 per cent of the emissions reductions from behaviour changes should be influenced or mandated by governments.

Links

• International Energy Agency (IEA)
• Old king coal has surrendered to solar, says global power report
• Three years and $3 trillion to save the world climate and economy
• Global emissions fall faster than at any time on record as COVID-19 hits economies
• IEA: World Energy Model
• IEA: World Energy Outlook 2020
• University of Technology Sydney Institute for Sustainable Futures
• IEA: Australia