The IEA deals with some very big figures and its reports can be full of quite amazing facts , of how much energy is in its various forms , and it is saying it is very keen to stop the 1.5oC rise in global temperatures that is predicted to bring so much damage in terms of more powerful storms , or less predictable climate patters to grow food and crops. I haven't read this report and it seems a lot of financial chatter is occuring about it before the engineers respond.
Its perhaps not for me as a mature student in engineering to explain that the IEA still hasn,t made the crucial connection of pollution in general , rather than just CO2. CO2 is a problem , but then again so is NOx , so is water vapour etc and sooner or later someone will ask the IEA to consider what the most prescient threats from pollution are in direct relation to energy systems .
energy thinking is and has been quite a competative field for some time now because energy systems have not been thought about in any other sense that just replacing the high amounts of energy we have had from fossil fuels and its financial systems of wealth.. The IEA makes no acknowledgement that unless countiries develope systems of recycling we will continue to allow more pollutants into the ocean , so energy systems will be directed to these.
The bit on air conditioning is interesting , reduce it by 2oC , but fails to mention the effects of certain designs of house and garden to help this , nor does it suggest that bio materials might be a good move .
The energy thinking is a competaive field , but its no good saying carbon zero , when its replacement activity just damages the planet in another way by mining extraction or new damaging pollution scenarios .