Increasing global energy investment by only 7 percent could reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide by more than 50 percent by 2040, according to the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook (WEO) on Energy and Air Pollution, released Monday. Particulate pollution under the Clean Air Scenario outlined in the report would be reduced by almost three-quarters as well. “The Clean Air Scenario produces a sharp improvement in health compared with our main scenario: premature deaths from outdoor air pollution are 1.7 million lower in 2040 and, from household pollution, 1.6 million lower,” the report says.
The report also states that the Clean Air Scenario, which calls for an extra $2.3 trillion worldwide in investment in advanced pollution control and $2.5 trillion in investment for a more rapid transformation of the energy sector to clean energy, would have significant co-benefits. “The Clean Air Scenario provides for an early peak in carbon dioxide emissions, a central objective of the Paris climate change agreement,” the report says.
