Environmental co-benefits and adverse side-effects of alternative power sector 
decarbonization strategies

Luderer, Gunnar; Pehl, Michaja; Arvesen, A.; Gibon, T.; Bodirsky, Benjamin Leon; Sytze de Boer, H.; Fricko, O.; Hejazi, M.; Humpenöder, Florian; Iyer, G.; Mima, S.; Mouratiadou, I.; Pietzcker, Robert C.; Popp, Alexander; Berg, M. van den; Vuuren, D. van; Hertwich, E. G.

doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13067-8

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Environmental co-benefits and adverse side-effects of alternative power sector decarbonization strategies

Authors

/persons/resource/Gunnar.Luderer

Luderer, Gunnar
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/michaja.pehl

Pehl, Michaja
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Arvesen, A.
External Organizations;

Gibon, T.
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/Bodirsky

Bodirsky, Benjamin Leon
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Sytze de Boer, H.
External Organizations;

Fricko, O.
External Organizations;

Hejazi, M.
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/Florian.Humpenoeder

Humpenöder, Florian
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Iyer, G.
External Organizations;

Mima, S.
External Organizations;

Mouratiadou, I.
External Organizations;

/persons/resource/Robert.Pietzcker

Pietzcker, Robert C.
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

/persons/resource/Alexander.Popp

Popp, Alexander
Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research;

Berg, M. van den
External Organizations;

Vuuren, D. van
External Organizations;

Hertwich, E. G.
External Organizations;

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Citation

Luderer, G., Pehl, M., Arvesen, A., Gibon, T., Bodirsky, B. L., Sytze de Boer, H., Fricko, O., Hejazi, M., Humpenöder, F., Iyer, G., Mima, S., Mouratiadou, I., Pietzcker, R. C., Popp, A., Berg, M. v. d., Vuuren, D. v., Hertwich, E. G. (2019): Environmental co-benefits and adverse side-effects of alternative power sector decarbonization strategies. - Nature Communications, 10, 5229.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-13067-8

Cite as: https://publications.pik-potsdam.de/pubman/item/item_23451

Abstract

A rapid and deep decarbonization of power supply worldwide is required to limit global warming to well below 2 °C. Beyond greenhouse gas emissions, the power sector is also responsible for numerous other environmental impacts. Here we combine scenarios from integrated assessment models with a forward-looking life-cycle assessment to explore how alternative technology choices in power sector decarbonization pathways compare in terms of non-climate environmental impacts at the system level. While all decarbonization pathways yield major environmental co-benefits, we find that the scale of co-benefits as well as profiles of adverse side-effects depend strongly on technology choice. Mitigation scenarios focusing on wind and solar power are more effective in reducing human health impacts compared to those with low renewable energy, while inducing a more pronounced shift away from fossil and toward mineral resource depletion. Conversely, non-climate ecosystem damages are highly uncertain but tend to increase, chiefly due to land requirements for bioenergy.