| Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees | In February 2020, the EDF group signed up for the “Business Ambition for 1.5 degrees: our only future” initiative launched by the United Nations Global Compact, We Mean Business and Science Based Target Initiative. This coalition has now been joined by more than 300 companies committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, in order to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5°C with respect to pre-industrial temperatures. |
|---|---|
| Race To Zero | Through this commitment, the EDF group is also part of the United Nations “Race To Zero” initiative and has joined the “Climate Ambition Alliance” (1) alongside more than 120 countries, 450 cities, 45 investors and 1,000 companies. |
In 2020, the EDF group set new targets to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, covering both its direct emissions (Scope 1) and its indirect emissions (Scopes 2 and 3). On 7 December 2020, the Science Based Targets initiative (2) confirmed based on its recently-published methodology specially developed for the electrical sector (3) that these goals are in line with the “Well Below 2°C” trajectory.
The EDF group defined the following 2030 targets:
| 2030 targets recognised by the SBTi (4) | 50% reduction, compared with 2017 levels for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, also including emissions from non-consolidated assets and emissions associated with electricity purchased (i.e. not generated by it) to be sold to end customers. |
|---|---|
| 28% reduction, compared with 2019 levels of emissions from combustion of gas sold to end customers (Scope 3). |
| Additional 2030 targets (5) | 25MtCO2e for Group Scope 1 emissions in 2030. |
|---|---|
| 35gCO2/KWh for the carbon intensity of electricity and heat produced by the Group in 2030. | |
| 28% reduction, from 2019 levels, of all Scope 3 emissions by 2030. |
In line with the recommendations of the High-Level Expert Group set up by the United Nations with the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) method, these "short-term" goals do not include any use of voluntary carbon offsetting or carbon storage.
In order to reach these targets, a greenhouse gas emissions reduction trajectory has been developed for the three Scopes of the EDF group. This trajectory contains a 2023 milestone with the following interim targets:
| 2023 interim targets (6) | 28 to 30MtCO2e for Group Scope 1 emissions in 2023. |
|---|---|
| 23% reduction compared with 2017 levels for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, also including emissions from non-consolidated assets and emissions associated with electricity purchased (i.e. not generated by it) to be sold to end customers. | |
| 10% reduction compared with 2019 levels for emissions associated with the combustion of gas sold to end customers and an 8% reduction compared to 2019 for the entire Scope 3 of the Group. |
These 2023 and 2030 Group direct and indirect emissions targets were used to determine emission trajectories for all the Group’s business lines and entities (see section 3.1.3 “EDF climate governance”).
The National Low Carbon Strategy (Stratégie nationale bas carbone, SNBC) is France’s roadmap to combatting climate change. The SNBC was introduced by the Energy Transition for Green Growth Act (Loi de transition énergétique pour la croissance verte, LTECV) in 2015, and comes up for review once every five years. It was revised in 2020; France’s next SNBC is due to be finalised by the end of 2024. The SNBC aims for national carbon neutrality to be achieved by 2050.
This section presents a summary overview of the EDF group’s carbon trajectory in the light of the SNBC. EDF’s trajectory for reducing its direct emissions is fully in line with SNBC goals.
| Indicator | Emissions reduction goals for 2023 vs 2015 | Emissions reduction goals for 2030 vs 2015 | Emissions reduction goals for 2050 vs 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SNBC target – France not including LULUCF* | SNBC target – France not including LULUCF* Emissions reduction goals for 2023 vs 2015 -13% |
SNBC target – France not including LULUCF* Emissions reduction goals for 2030 vs 2015 -32% |
SNBC target – France not including LULUCF* Emissions reduction goals for 2050 vs 2015 -86% |
| SNBC target – Energy industries | SNBC target – Energy industries Emissions reduction goals for 2023 vs 2015 -23% |
SNBC target – Energy industries Emissions reduction goals for 2030 vs 2015 -34% |
SNBC target – Energy industries Emissions reduction goals for 2050 vs 2015 -96% |
| SNBC scenario – Electricity production | SNBC scenario – Electricity production Emissions reduction goals for 2023 vs 2015 -32% |
SNBC scenario – Electricity production Emissions reduction goals for 2030 vs 2015 -37% |
SNBC scenario – Electricity production Emissions reduction goals for 2050 vs 2015 -100% |
| Projected change in the EDF group’s direct emissions in France | Projected change in the EDF group’s direct emissions in France Emissions reduction goals for 2023 vs 2015 -34% |
Projected change in the EDF group’s direct emissions in France Emissions reduction goals for 2030 vs 2015 -45% |
Projected change in the EDF group’s direct emissions in France Emissions reduction goals for 2050 vs 2015 -100% (near-zero emissions) |
*LULUCF: Land-Use Change, and Forestry.
(1) Alliance set up in September 2019 at the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action summit by Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile.
(2) Initiative launched in the wake of the Paris Agreement in 2015 by the following four organisations: CDP, UN Global Compact, World Resources Institute and World Wild Fund.
(3) “Setting 1.5°C aligned science – based targets – quick start guide for electric utilities”, CDP, June 2020.
(4) For further methodological details, see section 3.6.3.5 “ Further details on social, environmental and societal data from the Statement of non-financial performance”.
(5) Id.
(6) Id.
