IEA says world needs 'laser-like focus' to bring down emissions

The world must do much more to slash emissions if it is to defuse the climate change time bomb and deliver sustainable energy for a growing population, the International Energy Agency said Wednesday.

The IEA said in its World Energy Outlook 2019 report that if current policies continue, demand will rise 1.3 percent annually through to 2040, "resulting in strains across all aspects of energy markets and a continued strong upward march in energy-related emissions".

If governments instead keep their promises of change and energy demand increases by a smaller one percent, the outcome "is still well off track from the aim of a secure and sustainable energy future," it said in a summary.

The end point of this "Stated Policies Scenario" would be a "world where hundreds of millions of people still go without access to electricity... and where CO2 emissions would lock in severe impacts from climate change."