Does Paraguay need zero-emissions decarbonization?

Source: Prepared by the authors using LEAP. To highlight the policies necessary for zero-emissions decarbonization of energy-use sectors in Paraguay, this re-port introduces three scenarios for Paraguay’s final energy demand matrix from 2018 to 2030, 2040, and 2050 based on the freely available LEAP software and available base-line data as of 2018.

Is biomass a source of electricity in Paraguay?

Traditional biomass – the burning of charcoal, crop waste, and other organic matter – is not included. This can be an important source in lower-income settings. Paraguay: How much of the country’s electricity comes from nuclear power? Nuclear power – alongside renewables – is a low-carbon source of electricity.

What fuel does Paraguay use?

Biomass, specifically firewood, is the largest fuel source consumed in Paraguay at 43% of final energy demand. Only 17% of fuel wood demand is met by wood from managed forests. The country continues to remove forest at one of the highest rates in all of South America at around 325,000 hectares per year, mostly in the Western Chaco region.

What is the main source of electricity in Paraguay?

Hydropower is the main source of Paraguay’s electricity generation and one of its main exports.

Will Paraguay achieve zero emissions by 2050?

Scenario 1 shows that Paraguay would see a nearly 2.5-fold increase from 8.1 MtCO2e in 2018 to 20.13 MtCO2e by 2050 if no action is taken. Should the country emphasize biomass in reaching zero emissions, Paraguay would reduce emis-sions to 1.54 MtCO2e.

Should Paraguay adopt a back-casting approach?

Finally, the Government of Paraguay should adopt a back-casting approach, starting from the end goal—a zero-car-bon energy system as of 2050 at the latest—and work backwards to understand what needs to be done in the short and mid-term. This approach does not imply that policies will stay unchanged and fixed for decades.