Increasing temperatures could boost electricity demand and costs over the next several decades, if warming continues unabated.

James McFarland at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC and his team analysed rising temperature trends and climate policies from 2015 to 2050 using three electricity-sector models for the United States. They found that electricity demand in 2050 would rise by 1.6–6.5% more in scenarios with increasing temperatures than in the case of constant temperatures, owing to factors such as greater use of air conditioning.

Without global action, the cost of electricity generation would grow by 1.7–8.3%, which is comparable to the projected costs of cutting carbon emissions from the power sector by 50% by 2050.

Climatic Change http://doi.org/5gh (2015)