Sustainability

• [New] Using the power of the Sun, space-based solar power is a low-carbon and renewable technology that could potentially offer us a resilient, safe and sustainable energy source, and could make a substantial contribution to delivering on the UK's commitment to net zero by 2050.
• [New] The EIB has committed to spend €1 trillion in climate action and sustainability investments by 2030, align all its financing activities with the Paris Agreement, and cease funding fossil fuel infrastructure and projects by the end of 2022, one year later than was initially proposed.
• [New] Next year sees the start of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems all around the world, which runs from 2021 until the deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030.
• [New] Global investments into the Sustainable Development Goals are woefully inadequate for addressing one, let alone all, of them.
• [New] Somewhere between $ 5-7 trillion per year will be required globally through 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
• [New] By 2040, the United States will be the only country with a large, growing market and the fiscal capacity to sustain a global military presence.
• 2020's joint report analyses for the first time financial commitments to off-grid renewables technologies in developing markets, as they can bring the world closer to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 7 on universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy by 2030.
• 3.5 billion people may face water stress by 2025; already today temporary water stress has dramatically increased in Europe due to climate change and increasing demand.
• Sustainable economic recovery could boost the national economy by about $680 billion and create over 250,000 jobs over the next five decades.
• By the end of this decade, the EIB Group will support at least €1 trillion in climate action and environmental sustainability investments.
• The adoption of sustainable measures across industries to reduce carbon emissions can save the global economy an estimated $26 trillion by 2030.
• From a peak of 2% in the 1960s, average annual growth of the global population has slowed down to 1% at present and is expected to cease entirely by the end of the century.
• Investment needs in sub-Saharan Africa alone are estimated at USD 105 billion per year to 2050, to align with development objectives and climate goals.
• Under an IEA sustainable development scenario with more aggressive action to address climate change, oil demand through 2040 could fall to under 70 million barrels a day compared with around 100 million or more in the other scenarios.
• Five years into the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is nowhere near to ensuring a quality education for all by 2030.
• Asset owners in the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, representing roughly $5 trillion in assets under management, have made a pledge to transition their investment portfolios to net zero emissions by 2050.
• In the IEA's sustainable development scenario, 13% of the global car fleet is electric by 2030, requiring annual average growth of 36% per year between 2019 and 2030.
• Many retailers are now placing sustainable practices at the focal point of their brand as they look to rebuild their businesses, with the resale market projected to increase from $7 billion last year to $36 billion by 2024.
• From 2023, ESS will provide unique opportunities within materials research for thousands of scientists from all over the world, benefitting the development of new medicines, better batteries, and more sustainable materials.
• Sustainable Development Scenario assumes a surge in clean energy policies and investment resulting in the energy system achieving sustainable energy objectives, including the Paris Agreement, that will put global emissions on a path to reach net-zero by 2070.
• While low interest rates, along with the projected rebound in growth in 2021 will stabilize debt for many countries, it will help all countries to have a medium-term fiscal framework to give confidence that debt remains sustainable.

Last updated: 22 November 2020