Posters

Abstract

Climate change is one of the major global challenges of our time. According to the World Meteorological Organization there is a 50% probability that global temperatures will increase by 1.5°C as soon as 2026. At the same time, we are facing a paradigm shift triggered by the Russian war on Ukraine. The vulnerability of our energy and resource supply has become particularly obvious this spring. The high energy prices are having a dramatic impact on society and the economy, on top of the already difficult economic situation due to the pandemic. To address these challenges, the role of the European Union is of utmost importance. With these political uncertainties and the impact of climate change, time is running out. The transition to clean energy has already brought about tremendous changes in our society and economy, while at the same time fostering the development of new technologies. However, if we do not reduce our emissions quickly enough in Europe and worldwide, tipping points will occur in the Earth system. This will cause feedback loops of irreversible increases in global temperatures, leaving catastrophic consequences in their wake. This confirms the need for planning ambitious actions, which this study supports. The study considers European climate neutrality in 2050 as a target scenario and uses a detailed model to compare two cost optimal paths to reach the ambitious goals. The first path relies on a global market with gas imports from outside the EU, and the other develops an increasingly energy resilient Europe. The results show in detailed analyses how to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 by taking measures in each sector - renewables, heating, transport, industry and particularly the electricity and gas grids.