Innovation and climate
This document presents a synthesis of two reports by the IEA and the IPCC, complemented by various references on clean innovation. It reviews the main principles and mechanisms of innovation and R&D applied to climate technologies, the dynamics observed in the sector over the last few years, the possible developments over the next decades and the conditions necessary for their fulfilment, particularly in the face of potential barriers.
Innovation has been an essential vector in the deployment of low-carbon energies over the last few decades, both in terms of growth in installed capacity and lower costs.While currently available technologies are sufficient to achieve decarbonization goals by 2030, in the longer term, novel technologies will be needed for some harder-to-abate sectors. According to the IEA, achieving decarbonization will require deployment rates for these technologies that have rarely been observed in the past- and therefore, as highlighted in the IPCC report, a rethinking of innovation direction.
Understanding the mechanisms of innovation, in particular by analyzing past development dynamics, is essential to ensure the deployment at scale of climate technologies that are less mature today, but whose long-term success will depend on actions and decisions taken in the short term.
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