Sectors

These pathways are outlined for key sectors such as transport, energy, and agriculture in the IPCC Special Report for limiting warming to 1.5 degrees. But even sectors such as services or information sectors which are not intuitively associated with the most significant Green House Gas emissions, have critical roles to play in the transition to net zero and in developing net zero solutions. Additional sectoral strategies (complimentary to the IPCC models) are outlined by the UNFCCC’s Climate Action Pathways.  While there are many common solutions, the pathway to net zero is different for each sector. Some sectors should be able to reduce emissions to absolute zero well before mid century, while others (typically hard to abate sectors) will have to innovate and scale GHG removal options to achieve net zero by mid century. A key transition in one sector (such as the energy sector) can serve as a sensitive intervention point, stimulating transitions in other sectors. The overlapping nature of sectors also presents challenges in cases when multiple sectors may come to rely on the same limited resource for achieving net zero, pointing to the need for coordinated action within and across sectors. Click the boxes below to read more about policies, innovations, and business opportunities by sector in the global race to net zero.