FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF DECARBONISING
HARD-TO-ABATE SECTORS
FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF DECARBONISING HARD-TO-ABATE SECTORS
Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, and negative emissions thereafter – that is the target stipulated by Sweden’s Climate Act. Achieving this target, however, requires a focus on those areas where decarbonisation is particularly challenging: industry and transport.
Industry accounts for almost one third of Sweden’s emissions, while domestic transport accounts for another third. A third of domestic transport emissions are, in turn, caused by heavy-duty road vehicles. While electrification may be the clear answer to reducing emissions from personal vehicles, the technological path forward is much less clear when it comes to heavy transport. Regarding the major emitters in industry – steel and cement production as well as oil and gas refining – major process and market oriented obstacles stand in the way of their decarbonisation.
The objective of SSFC’s research in this field is to support developing and operationalizing roadmaps for decarbonising hard to abate sectors in Sweden. In particular, the project aims to support closer collaboration between industry, government, and the financial sector on investment mechanisms and on infrastructure development necessary for operationalising sectoral low-carbon transition.
Dr. Björn Nykvist
Research fellow at SEI
“What drives me in my research is the fact that climate change is the most important question of our times. Because the climate impact of the steel and cement industries as well as the transport sector is so big, I find it especially interesting to look at what it takes to help these sectors in their low-carbon transition.”
RESEARCH QUESTIONS INCLUDE:
- What are the financing needs to decarbonise heavy industry and heavy transport in Sweden?
- Are there viable business models for net-zero heavy industry and heavy road transport in Sweden?
- What are the obstacles to financing in the respective sectors and how do different combinations of technology and policy impact these obstacles?
- What creative financial innovation can be used to spread out investment by the state over time, and to facilitate risk-sharing between the public and private investors?
The ultimate aim is to support development of credible long-term policies and sectoral planning that can then be matched with credible long-term financing for achieving net-zero 2045.