Towards a Simplified and Integrated Model for Climate-Energy Resources and Systems Planning

This study examines sustainable energy development (SED) and climate change (CC). An existing critical discourse analysis of the relationship between SED and CC found ten interconnected SED themes, two of which are energy financing and the demand for 100% renewable energy (RE), which have been least studied in SED literature but are useful in addressing the current progress of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) aimed at reducing the global climate change consequences. Three environmental, economic, and energy models are introduced to examine the limits of current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the 1.5 degrees C climate scenario using a just transition strategy for GHG emissions reduction. The environment (ENV) model estimates global temperature rises using baseline, current (announced energy policies 1 and 2), optimal (2.0 degrees C Scenario), and most optimal (1.5 degrees C Scenario) climatic scenarios. The study analyses predicted temperature rises for each climate policy scenario to construct a simpler integrated emissions cost budgeting strategy using capital budgeting approaches under the economic (ECO) model to evaluate the four scenarios' economic attractiveness. The Energy (ENE) model synthesises 100% renewable energy (RE) possibilities in the four heavily driven CO2 emission sectors (electricity, transport, building, and industrial processes) to demonstrate the essential idea of the possibility of a global 100% RE system. The feasibility of 100% RE and global temperature rise under four scenarios is assessed using system dynamics-based integrated evaluation. The study illuminates SED's challenges, opportunities, and paths to planning a more sustainable energy future. It also shows how climate change scenarios could influence policy toward planning for sustainable energy resources and climate resilience systems.