Tougher energy efficiency standards ranging from cars to fridges could cut annual world greenhouse gas emissions by about a tenth by 2030 while also spurring economic growth, an international report said on Thursday.
The study, by the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate, urged the Group of 20 to do more to improve the energy use of vehicles, buildings, factories, power plants and household appliances as a way to limit global warming.
The Commission, led by former heads of government, business leaders, economists and other experts, argues that measures to combat climate change can help lift economic growth, rather than depress it as many governments fear.
"Energy efficiency really contributes economically and it is also important in terms of climate change," Russell Bishop, who led the study that included everything from lightbulbs to building insulation, told Reuters.
The report estimated that new voluntary energy efficiency measures, that could vary by country, could cut annual greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of between 4.5 and 6.9 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2030.
By contrast, annual world greenhouse gas emissions are now around the equivalent of 50 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to the U.N.'s panel of climate scientists.
PHOTO: The plug of an electric car lies on the ground at an electric car exhibition in west Sydney July 12, 2011.
CREDIT: Reuters/Daniel Munoz.