What is Colombia's pathway to limit global warming to 1.5°C?
Colombia
Electrification of end use sectors and renewables and drive Colombia’s decarbonisation
By 2050, Colombia can decarbonise its energy end-use sectors and align with 1.5°C through electrification and accelerated renewables deployment, resulting in a much more efficient, flexible, secure, fossil-free and highly electrified energy system. Solar becomes the main driver of the power sector in Colombia’s energy transformation, covering the additional demand.
Colombia's total GHG emissions MtCO₂e/yr
*These pathways reflect the level of mitigation ambition needed domestically to align the country with a cost-effective breakdown of the global emissions reductions in the HPA scenario. For developing countries, achieving these reductions will require international support.
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Graph description
The figure shows a national 1.5°C compatible emissions pathway for total GHG emissions excl. LULUCF in the Highest Possible Ambition scenario. Emissions data is presented in global warming potential (GWP) values from the IPCC's Fifth Assessment Report (AR5). While we don’t present country-level estimates, the HPA scenario rapidly scales CDR from the 2030s onwards, with engineered removals reaching around 5 GtCO2/yr by 2050, supported by limited removals of around 2 GtCO2/yr from the land-use system. The HPA scenario avoids large-scale nature-based CDR, given the risks of overreliance on natural sinks in a warming world.
Methodology
Data References
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Transport is a crucial decarbonisation lever
Transport sector emissions represent almost a quarter (23%) of Colombia’s total emissions in 2024, making it the largest emitting energy sector. By 2050, the Highest Possible Ambition scenario shows electricity becoming the ‘new oil’ – reaching a 73% share of the sector’s mix, providing overall efficiency gains and ultimately making it a crucial lever for the country’s decarbonisation efforts.
Industry decarbonises through electrification and green hydrogen
According to the Highest Possible Ambition scenario, the electrification of the industry sector could curb coal use to less than 3% by 2035, down from 20% in 2023. By 2050, the transformation of Colombia’s industry energy mix through electrification and green hydrogen production could push fossil fuels to less than 1% of the energy mix.