19 June 2012

Nick Eyre and Katy Janda contribute to new report on the impacts of climate change on energy demand in The Global Energy Assessment – launched at the Rio+20 UN conference on Sustainable Development.

The report brings together over 300 international researchers to provide an independent, scientifically based, integrated and policy-relevant analysis of current and emerging energy issues and options.

Drs Nick Eyre and Katy Janda contributed to the work on energy use in buildings (chapter 10) - a crucial chapter as buildings use approximately one third of the world's energy and 60% of its electricity. Thus buildings offer the highest potential for energy demand reduction. Nick and Katy led the work on the impact of climate change on energy demand and on the importance of professional, social and behavioural challenges and opportunities. The work draws on on-going work in the ECI’s Lower Carbon Futures group on the impacts of feedback and lifestyle on energy use, the role of trades and professions in the refurbishment of buildings and different policy options for reducing energy demand.

The Global Energy Assessment is a international collaborative research effort to help decision makers address the challenges of providing energy services for sustainable development, whilst ameliorating existing and emerging threats associated with energy security, access, climate change mitigation, poverty alleviation and financial security.

The GEA goes beyond existing studies on energy issues by presenting a comprehensive and integrated analysis of energy challenges, opportunities and strategies, for developing, industrialized and emerging economies.

The full report is being launched at the Rio+20 20 UN conference on Sustainable Development at a joint event between the United National Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and The United Nations Foundation (UNF). The report can be pre-ordered from Cambridge University Press.

Full citation:

Urge-Vorsatz, D., N. Eyre, P. Graham, L.D.D. Harvey, E. Hertwich, E. Jochem, C. Kornevall, M. Majumdar, J. McMahon, S. Mirasgedis, S. Murakami, A. Novikova, Jiang, Y., O. Masera, M. McNeil, P. de T’Serclaes, S. Tirado-Herrero, K. Petrichenko and K. Janda (2012) Chapter 10: Towards Sustainable Energy End Use: Buildings, in Global Energy Assessment. Cambridge University Press.