Climate change mitigation costs reduction caused by socioeconomic-technological transitions

Abstract

Numerical scenarios generated by Integrated Assessment Models describing future energy and land-use systems that attain climate change mitigation goals have been considered important sources of guidance for climate policymaking. The climate change mitigation cost is one of the concerns in the emissions reduction efforts. However, how to moderate climate change mitigation costs is not well understood. Here, we describe the conditions needed for reducing or taking away climate change mitigation costs by implementing socioeconomic-technological transitions into numerical scenario assessment. The results indicate that integration of multiple socioeconomic-technological transitions would be effective, including lowering energy demand, shifting to an environmentally friendly food system, energy technology progress and the stimulus of capital formation that is additionally imposed to the normal carbon pricing mechanism. No single measure is sufficient to fully take away mitigation costs. These results indicate that cross-sectoral transformation is needed, as the realisation of all measures depends on effective government policies as well as uncertain social and technological changes.