Energy: Iea, 10 times less carbon dioxide produced by children than grandparents – green and blue

(ANSA) – Rome, Feb. 21 – Children born in 2022 will have to emit 10 times less carbon dioxide than their grandparents, over the course of their lives, to reach the net zero target by 2050, according to an analysis by the International Energy Agency (Iea). ).

In a net-zero scenario by 2050, a person born in their fifties would produce 350 tons of carbon dioxide in their lifetime, while children in their twenties would produce only 34 tons. The reduction to be achieved, in two generations, is particularly drastic in countries where per capita emissions have been as high as 15 times that of the United States and the European Union. In China four times and in India three and a half times.

Also at a global level, the study sets out the conditions for achieving net zero emissions by 2050, including changes in technology and lifestyles. “The key milestones are to quadruple the amount of photovoltaic and wind energy added each year by 2030, to improve the energy intensity of the global economy by 4% each year in this decade, and to electrify large sectors of the economy such as automobiles, building heating, and industrial engines. Additionally, “nearly half of the reduction in emissions by 2050 depends on technologies that are still in the early stages of research and development today.” (handle).