If the emission of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases remains unchecked, it could have large-scale humanitarian, environmental, political and economic consequences. The International Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences [CAETS] commissioned a study on the technological and engineering issues related to transitioning to lower carbon energy in the building and transportation sectors, which together account for 50% of global energy consumption and 60+% of GHG emissions. The Canadian Academy of Engineering is a major contributor to the CAETS energy committee.
The CAETS Energy Committee has noted that a wide range of technological and engineering options is available for the building sector to become more energy-efficient with lower GHG emissions and has called for special attention to develop new and retrofit building envelopes; heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and cooling (HVAC) systems; and advanced energy management systems and their upgrades. It has also stressed the need to achieve passive and net zero energy standards for residential and commercial buildings, respectively with onsite alternative renewable energy options by 2030 and to implement smart and solar envelope concepts for large building complexes.
Though the five major constituencies of the transportation sector viz., road, rail, air, sea and pipeline systems currently rely heavily on fossil fuels, there are positive indications of their moving towards lower carbon energy regime. The current regulatory framework is predominantly emission reduction driven and needs to be reoriented towards energy efficiency. The CAETS Energy Committee has identified energy-efficient light vehicle engines, hybrid electric-diesel locomotives, advanced aero and marine engines and switchover to multimodal transport options as high priority areas for technology and engineering interventions.