Energy Academy
Roadmap Development & Delivery9 / 12

Phasing Abatement (Quick Wins → Deep Cuts)

2025: efficiency & demand reduction. 2030: electrification. 2040+: residual + offsets.

10 min read · Jacob Willis, Net Zero Lead · Last reviewed July 2026


A net-zero goal decades away means nothing without a plan to reach it. A roadmap sequences the journey into phases - quick wins first, deep cuts later - turning a distant target into a series of concrete, scheduled steps. The sequencing is not arbitrary; it follows a logic that minimises cost and maximises effect.

In this lesson

  • 01Why phasing matters
  • 02The sequencing logic
  • 03Why efficiency comes first
  • 04Why electrify before fully decarbonising supply
  • 05Quick wins and momentum
  • 06Interim milestones
  • 07The hard-to-abate residual
  • 08Building the roadmap
  • 09The roadmap as the integrating plan
  • 10Sources and further reading