Bristol University Press
Five Zero Net Carbon Emissions? Yes, It Is Possible
-
Anne Hessel
Abstract
As early as 2003, France had set itself a target to reduce its carbon emissions by a factor of four. In July 2017, Nicolas Hulot set an even more ambitious goal of ‘carbon neutrality’. To attain carbon neutrality within 30 years, radical changes are needed: all economic sectors must halve their energy consumption and what remains must be ‘carbon-free’ energy. Zero net carbon emissions means the balance of emissions is nil, but this does not mean that no carbon is emitted – that would be utopian. The objective is to reduce our emissions drastically and for the remaining emissions of certain sectors to be absorbed by other sectors; in this way, instead of being released into the atmosphere, methane could be ‘captured’ and used to produce fuel for clean transport.
To achieve this revolution in carbon emissions, the solution can be summarized in three points. We need to:
1. save energy
2. save energy
3. replace fossil fuels with carbon-free energy sources.
Sufficiency and efficiency
Sufficiency and efficiency are the two keywords of the ‘negawatt’ scenario. We might expect that a think tank composed of many experts, engineers, technicians and researchers would extol the merits of a specific technology, but that is not the case. No technical solution will allow us to attain zero net emissions if we are not capable of massively saving energy, thanks to sufficiency and efficiency.
Abstract
As early as 2003, France had set itself a target to reduce its carbon emissions by a factor of four. In July 2017, Nicolas Hulot set an even more ambitious goal of ‘carbon neutrality’. To attain carbon neutrality within 30 years, radical changes are needed: all economic sectors must halve their energy consumption and what remains must be ‘carbon-free’ energy. Zero net carbon emissions means the balance of emissions is nil, but this does not mean that no carbon is emitted – that would be utopian. The objective is to reduce our emissions drastically and for the remaining emissions of certain sectors to be absorbed by other sectors; in this way, instead of being released into the atmosphere, methane could be ‘captured’ and used to produce fuel for clean transport.
To achieve this revolution in carbon emissions, the solution can be summarized in three points. We need to:
1. save energy
2. save energy
3. replace fossil fuels with carbon-free energy sources.
Sufficiency and efficiency
Sufficiency and efficiency are the two keywords of the ‘negawatt’ scenario. We might expect that a think tank composed of many experts, engineers, technicians and researchers would extol the merits of a specific technology, but that is not the case. No technical solution will allow us to attain zero net emissions if we are not capable of massively saving energy, thanks to sufficiency and efficiency.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables, Figures and Boxes v
- Acknowledgements: The English Translation viii
- How We Can Win the Battle by Nicolas Hulot ix
- 2020: A Warning Shot by Anne Hessel x
- Foreword xiii
- ‘Our Home Is Burning and We Are Looking Elsewhere’ 1
- Global Warming: The Essential Cause Is Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 14
- ‘Soon It Will Be Too Late…’, Say 15,000 Scientists 24
- The UN Environment Programme Denounces ‘This Catastrophic Climate Gap’ between the Reductions Needed and the National Pledges 35
- Zero Net Carbon Emissions? Yes, It Is Possible 40
- Can We Make a Colossal Development Programme Work? We Can Do It! 50
- ‘€1,000 Billion for the Climate?’ If It Is Really Needed, Yes, We Can Do It! 56
- Putting Finance Back at the Service of the Common Good: The European Climate Finance Pact 78
- Save the Climate and Save Europe? It Is Now or Never! 97
- Conclusion: Creating a New Development Model 110
- Notes 112
- Index 119
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of Tables, Figures and Boxes v
- Acknowledgements: The English Translation viii
- How We Can Win the Battle by Nicolas Hulot ix
- 2020: A Warning Shot by Anne Hessel x
- Foreword xiii
- ‘Our Home Is Burning and We Are Looking Elsewhere’ 1
- Global Warming: The Essential Cause Is Our Greenhouse Gas Emissions 14
- ‘Soon It Will Be Too Late…’, Say 15,000 Scientists 24
- The UN Environment Programme Denounces ‘This Catastrophic Climate Gap’ between the Reductions Needed and the National Pledges 35
- Zero Net Carbon Emissions? Yes, It Is Possible 40
- Can We Make a Colossal Development Programme Work? We Can Do It! 50
- ‘€1,000 Billion for the Climate?’ If It Is Really Needed, Yes, We Can Do It! 56
- Putting Finance Back at the Service of the Common Good: The European Climate Finance Pact 78
- Save the Climate and Save Europe? It Is Now or Never! 97
- Conclusion: Creating a New Development Model 110
- Notes 112
- Index 119
