This document summarizes key findings from the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report regarding energy system transitions and sustainable development. It notes that options exist now to at least halve emissions by 2030 through reducing demand, electrification, and efficiency across energy, land use, transport, urban, buildings, and industry sectors. System transitions involve transforming end-use through electrification and efficiency, adopting new technologies and infrastructure, and changing behaviors. Cities influence emissions through urban form and infrastructure, with compact, mixed-use cities that shorten distances reducing sprawl. Demand-side changes through socio-cultural and technological innovations offer significant CO2 savings globally if they lower needs for supply and carbon removal. Future reports should further examine urban scenarios, costs

1. Energy System Transitions
in the context of
sustainable development:
Findings from AR6, and
towards AR7
I P C C . C H
Minal Pathak
Associate Professor, Global Centre for
Environment and Energy
Ahmedabad University, INDIA
December 5, 2023

2. SIXTH ASSESSMENT REPORT
Working Group III – Mitigation of Climate Change
There are options available now in
every sector that can at least halve
emissions by 2030
Energy Land use Transport
Urban Buildings
Industry
Demand and services

3. System transitions involve reducing demand,
widespread electrification and improved energy
efficiency
[Pelargoniums for Europe/Unsplash, City of St Pete CC BY-ND
2.0, Victor/Unsplash, EThekwini Municipality, Arne
Müseler/arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 de]
[United Airlines, Jeremy Segrott
CC BY 2.0, Andreas160578/Pixabay]

4. Cities and settlements
Spatial planning including urban form, mixed land use
and infrastructure has significant influence on energy
demand and emissions
Compact cities with shortened distances between
housing and jobs reduce sprawl
Each city can chart its own course- strategies for
established cities, rapidly growing cities, and new and
emerging cities
Fig 8.15 WGIII AR6

5. Demand and services
• Socio cultural changes within transition
pathways can offer Gigaton-scale CO2 saving
potential globally
• Lowering demand can reduce the need for
supply side additions and carbon capture and
removal
• Achieving demand reduction requires
technological, behavioural, and institutional
innovations and business models- what are
these?

6. Characteristics of low demand
scenarios
• End-use transformations (electrification, efficiency) drive
upstream emissions reductions
• Technology adoption, infrastructure and behaviour change
• Universal well-being- decent living standards for all
• Low resource use (energy, material, water…)
• Key concept: “services” (mobility, thermal comfort, etc)
• New trends in social and technological change

7. Implications on sustainable development/SDGs
• Several mitigation options such as energy efficiency,
renewable energy, urban planning and demand-side
mitigation have potential synergies with SDGs
• Synergies and trade-offs depend on scale and context

8. Considerations for AR7
• Deeper dive on systems transitions – e.g.
urban scenarios/typologies and their
implications on energy and material
demand
• Costs and potentials
• Systematic assessment of shared
economy, circular economy, digitalisation
• Representation of demand in scenarios
and models; mitigation potential
• Dynamic interaction between individual,
social, and structural drivers of change-
‘how’ to enable lifestyle changes
• Multiple lines of evidence
• Sustainable development implications

9. @IPCC_CH
#IPCReport
For more information:
IPCC Secretariat: ipcc-sec@wmo.int
IPCC Press Office: ipcc-media@wmo.int
Visit ipcc.ch
@IPCC
@IPCC
linkedin.com/
company/ipcc
Thank you.
Minal Pathak
minal.pathak@ahduni.edu.in