Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Commentary
  • Published:

Climate and energy challenges for materials science

Nature Materials volume 15, pages 117–120 (2016)Cite this article

Subjects

The Paris agreement on climate change represents an important step in the design of a new global framework for the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are keys for the success of this ambitious agreement.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Potential global final renewable energy use in 2030.

References

  1. State of the Climate: Global Analysis for September 2015 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 2015); http://go.nature.com/ZAEmAf

  2. Lima-Paris Action Agenda. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change http://go.nature.com/V9XcNh

  3. The Emissions Gap Report 2015 (United Nations Environment Programme, 2015); http://go.nature.com/31COZe

  4. Olivier, J. G. J. & Janssens-Maenhout, G. CO2 Emissions from Fossil Fuel Combustion Part III: Total Greenhouse Gas Emissions; 2015 Edition (International Energy Agency, 2015); http://go.nature.com/4FmoGO

    Google Scholar 

  5. Synthesis Report on the Aggregate Effect of the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 2015); http://go.nature.com/AYt2tZ

  6. Anthropocene. International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme http://go.nature.com/askSxi

  7. World Steel in Figures 2015 (World Steel Association, 2015); http://go.nature.com/1Za4w7

  8. FAO Cereal Supply and Demand Brief (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2015); http://go.nature.com/6l3QA1

  9. Cement Statistics and Information 2015 (United States Geological Survey, 2015); http://go.nature.com/IqaKnt

  10. International Energy Agency (IEA) and the World Bank Sustainable Energy for All 2015—Progress Toward Sustainable Energy. (World Bank, 2015); http://go.nature.com/FVEu8V

  11. World population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (29 July 2015); http://go.nature.com/k7AsMc

  12. REmap 2030: A Renewable Energy Roadmap (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2014); http://go.nature.com/gAg8BQ

  13. REthinking Energy: Renewable Energy and Climate Change (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2015); http://go.nature.com/98eHfe

  14. Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2014 (International Renewable Energy Agency, 2015); http://go.nature.com/5Vp2l5

  15. Gielen, D., Newman, J. & Patel, M. K. MRS Bull. 33, 471–477 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Chen, G-Q. & Patel, M. K. Chem. Rev. 112, 2082–2099 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Cement Technology Roadmap 2009 (International Energy Agency and World Business Council of Sustainable Development, 2009); http://go.nature.com/jQLKa7

  18. Ayres, R. U. & Peiro, L. T. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A 371, 20110563 (2013).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dolf Gielen, Francisco Boshell and Deger Saygin work for the International Renewable Energy Agency, IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre, Robert-Schuman-Platz 3, 53175 Bonn, Germany,

    Dolf Gielen, Francisco Boshell & Deger Saygin

Authors
  1. Dolf Gielen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Francisco Boshell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Deger Saygin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dolf Gielen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Gielen, D., Boshell, F. & Saygin, D. Climate and energy challenges for materials science. Nature Mater 15, 117–120 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4545

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4545

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing