Energy in a Changing Climate

A key climate solution. Show Hide Quick Links. Decarbonising the energy sector requires urgent action on a global scale.

While energy production and consumption patterns are changing fast, the shift to renewable sources needs to happen faster to reduce emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. See how climate policy drives shift to renewable energy. Bioenergy accounts for nearly three-quarters of renewable energy use in , and the use of modern bioenergy technologies could quadruple by the middle of the century.

Clean, sustainable, modern bioenergy is a key component in the energy mix to meet global climate goals. Read why doubling bioenergy use is essential for global sustainability.

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Yet transforming the global energy system in time to meet the challenge of climate change depends on early, concerted and consistent policy action to keep the rise in average temperatures below the crucial threshold of 2 degrees Celsius. The need for innovation extends beyond electricity to end uses in transport, buildings, industry and all aspects of energy use. Read why energy innovation is needed beyond electric power. Learn more about low-carbon growth options for the energy sector.

Renewable power could cover up to four-fifths of global electricity supply by — drastically reducing carbon emissions and helping to mitigate climate change. However, strategies are needed to fully integrate the variable renewables, solar and wind energy. Learn how power sector is crucial for global decarbonisation. Renewable energy deployment and energy efficiency improvements work in synergy. Pursued together, they result in higher shares of renewables, greater reductions in energy intensity, and faster decarbonisation.

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See how synergies boost renewables and energy efficiency. For example, fuel ports and the generation and transmission lines that bring electricity to major urban coastal centers are at risk.

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For more information about the impacts of climate change on coastal areas, please visit the Coastal Impacts page. For specific information about the environmental assessment, read the First Triennial Report to Congress. The impacts of climate change on wind and solar power is still a developing area of research due to the challenges involved in modeling wind and cloud cover changes at the necessary spatial scales. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: A Report by the U.

Energy Supply and Use. Climate Change Impacts in the United States: Global Change Research Program, Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Jump to main content.

New infrastructure investments may be necessary to meet increased energy demand, especially peak demand during heat waves. Climate change could affect the amount of water available to produce electricity or extract fuel. In areas where water is already scarce, competition for water between energy production and other uses could increase. Sea level rise and more frequent intense storms could disrupt energy production and delivery by damaging electricity infrastructure, fuel delivery infrastructure and equipment, power plants, or storage facilities.

Annually, the EPA sets volume requirements for each category of renewable fuel.