Planet Zero Carbon

Book excerpt: Challenging the assumption that getting to net zero is an unattainable aspiration, 'Planet Zero Carbon' sets out to show that this goal is very much becoming a reality as policy and industry work together. Framed by the onset of increasingly costly climate impacts, the book successfully details how the energy transition is not only affordable, but the technologies and policies associated with a shift to zero carbon are a necessity that the world cannot afford to avoid. First looking at a range of credible zero and low carbon energy scenarios, the book then goes on to explore the roles of the two primary energy carriers of the 21st century - electricity and hydrogen. Following a comprehensive assessment of the different factors involved, the book then looks in more detail at the various ways new technologies and focused policy is being utilised to decarbonise each sector of the economy, charting where industry is today and what we can expect to occur within the approaching decades. Special attention is given to financing the transition, the role of central and development banks as well as the threat of stranded assets. The book concludes with a rounded appraisal of what exit strategies are likely to be implemented by fossil energy companies now that Europe, the United States, Canada and China among others are all committed to fully decarbonising. Filled with the latest data, this fascinating and informative book lays bare the realities of our energy system, and the dramatic changes that are now taking place.