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• Existing energy policies' impacts on long-term CO2 mitigation is limited. • Delayed NDC enhancement might result in significant reduction on energy service. • Early enhancement with carbon trading could effectively reduce the system cost. • Cost-optimal enhancing plan requires huge investment in developing regions. CO2 mitigation in the global energy system is critical in tackling climate change, each region should design its long-term strategies and implement policies accordingly to promote the energy transformation. To evaluate the impacts of existing energy policies and propose possible enhanced NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions), this paper applied a 14-region global model to explore the transitions of the global and regional energy system. With the modelling of early and late NDCs enhancing plan for 2-degree target, the required energy transition of each plan was analyzed, together with the vital challenges and potential economic impacts. Model results show: 1. Existing energy policies can reduce the annual emission growth rate to 0.6% for 2015 – 2020, while their influence on long-term mitigation is limited; 2. If enhanced NDCs begin from 2030 onwards after realizing current goals, 2-degree target would become quite challenging in later period, some regions will have to cut the energy service drastically; 3. With the assumption of early enhancement and free carbon trading in the cost-optimal enhancing plan, the total cost of global energy system could be reduced by 10% in 2050, compared with the former plan; 4. Under this cost-optimal enhancing plan, developing regions may face great challenges in short to medium term, 122% of additional investment should be put in power sector in 2030, international support on both technology and finance would be essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, many countries have used aggressive policies such as feed-in tariffs and power purchase agreements to promote renewable energy. These policies have been very successful in several countries, initiating large changes in the structure of energy sectors, and conferring large environmental, economic, and social impacts. In this paper, we quantify these impacts over the period 2000–2010 for Portugal; a country that witnessed a substantial increase in renewable energy penetration rates, with the share of wind power in electricity production jumping from 0.4% in 2000 to 16.8% in 2010. We use a novel, hybrid energy-economic input–output model to compare the historical energy policy against a counterfactual scenario in which the surge in energy subsidies and concurrent expansion of renewable energies did not take place. We consider the impact of renewable energy policy stemming from three propagation modes – operational, investment, and opportunity costs – in both the energy sector and the rest of the economy. This is the first time such a comprehensive analysis has been undertaken. Our findings show that, in the period under consideration, the combined historical renewable energy policy and renewable energy developments yielded a clear reduction in emissions, in excess of 7.2 MtCO 2 eq, an increase in GDP of 1557 M€, and a creation of 160 thousand job-years. These estimates do not include opportunity costs from future FIT payments that projects built in this period may be entitled to. Therefore, this work will be of critical interest to RES-E and climate change policy makers, other scientists, and the public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Asia’s largest biofuels producers are currently Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, China and India. This paper first examines the current status of biofuels in these countries, including the national development targets, strategies, incentives and policies. It then identifies the fundamental driving forces behind the development and promotion of these industries and considers their economic, social and environmental impacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]