COP27: Governments announce plan to accelerate decarbonisation of 5 major sectors

Countries have launched a package of 25 new collaborative actions to be delivered by COP28 to speed up the decarbonisation under five key sectors namely power, road transport, steel, hydrogen and agriculture.

Decarbonising high-emitting sectors is critical to mitigate global warming. Oil and gas, steel and cement are three of the most carbon-intensive industries, their direct emissions representing more than a quarter of global CO2 emissions.

A statement issued by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on Friday, stated that under the Breakthrough Agenda, countries representing more than 50 per cent of global GDP set out sector-specific ‘Priority Actions’ to decarbonise power, transport and steel, scale up low-emission hydrogen production and accelerate the shift to sustainable agriculture by COP28.

These measures are designed to cut energy costs, rapidly reduce emissions and boost food security for billions of people worldwide.

The actions under each breakthrough will be delivered through coalitions of committed countries – from the G7, European Commission, India, Egypt, Morocco and others, supported by leading international organizations and initiatives, and spearheaded by a core group of leading governments.

These efforts will be reinforced with private finance and leading industry initiatives and further countries are encouraged to join.

The Priority Actions include agreements to: “Develop common definitions for low-emission and near-zero emission steel, hydrogen and sustainable batteries to help direct billions of pounds in investment, procurement and trade to ensure credibility and transparency.

“Ramp up the deployment of essential infrastructure projects including at least 50 large scale net-zero emission industrial plants, at least 100 hydrogen valleys and a package of major cross-border power grid infrastructure projects

“Set a common target date to phase out polluting cars and vehicles, consistent with the Paris Agreement. Significant backing for the dates of 2040 globally and 2035 in leading markets will be announced by countries, businesses and cities on Solutions Day.

“Use billions of money of private and public procurement and infrastructure spend to stimulate global demand for green industrial goods

“Systematically strengthen financial and technological assistance to developing countries and emerging markets to support their transitions backed up by a range of new financial measures, including the world’s first major dedicated industry transition programme under the Climate Investment Funds.

“Drive investment in agriculture research, development & demonstration (RD&D) to generate solutions to address the challenges of food insecurity, climate change and environmental degradation.”

This story was produced as part of the 2022 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.