Reaching Net Zero: What It Takes to Solve the Global Climate Crisis addresses the imminent need to fully understand the causes, effects, and evidence of global warming; due to the large amount of climate disinformation and complexity of much of the available valid science, this book addresses the science of global warming in a concise, readable manner while providing an in-depth reference for readers who want more details or to study the sources of information. This book also investigates potential practical next steps of interest to concerned scientists, engineers, and citizens, with an aim to further discuss and achieve the eventual Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ‘Net Zero’ goals. Solving the problem of reaching net zero requires educating others to support the changes that must occur and to provide the possible solutions required. This is a necessary read for academics in climate and environmental science, and specialists such as those in earth science or environmental studies, covering the science, technology, economics, politics, international, and other issues involved in doing something about global warming. It is also important for those interested in global warming and anyone involved in decision-making processes and legislation that deal with reduction in carbon footprints. Provides in-depth discussion of understanding the problem of global warming, with clear explanations of the science behind global warming and climate change Features case studies of successes and failures in reducing carbon footprints, with advised potential solutions for reaching net zero Takes a realistic approach to the problems and solutions of global warming in light of all available evidence across multiple disciplines

As drivers of climate action enter the fourth decade of what has become a multi-stage race, Net Zero has emerged as the dominant organizing principle. Hundreds of corporations and investors worldwide, together responsible for assets in the tens of trillions of dollars, are lining-up for the UN Race to Zero. This latest stage in the race to save civilization from heat, drought, fires, and floods, is defined by steering toward zeroing out greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Settling Climate Accounts probes the practice of Net Zero finance. It elucidates both the state of play and a set of directions that help form judgements about whether Net Zero is going to carry climate action far enough. The book delves into technical analyses and activates the reader’s imagination with narrative accounts of climate action past, present, and future. Settling Climate Accounts is edited and authored by Stanford University faculty and researchers. The first part of the book investigates the rough edges of Net Zero in practice, exploring questions of hedging risk, Scope 3 emissions, greenwashing, and the business of asset management. The second half looks at states, markets, and transitions through the lenses of blended finance, offsets, debt, and securitization. The editors tease out possible solutions and raise further questions about the adequacy and reach of the Net Zero agenda. To effectively navigate the road ahead, the editors call out the need for accountability and ask: who is in charge of making Net Zero add up? Settling Climate Accounts offers context and foundation to ground the rapidly evolving practice of Net Zero finance. Targeted at seasoned practitioners, newly activated leaders, educators, and students of climate action the world over, this book embraces the complexity of climate action and, in so doing, proposes to animate and drive hope.

Ending the fossil fuel industry is the only credible path for climate policy Around the world, countries and companies are setting net-zero carbon emissions targets. But what will it mean if those targets are achieved? One possibility is that fossil fuel companies will continue to produce billions of tons of atmospheric CO2 while relying on a symbiotic industry to scrub the air clean. Focusing on emissions draws our attention away from the real problem: the point of production. The fossil fuel industry must come to an end but will not depart willingly; governments must intervene. By embracing a politics of rural-urban coalitions and platform governance, climate advocates can build the political power needed to nationalize the fossil fuel industry and use its resources to draw carbon out of the atmosphere.

“If you care about climate change, John Doerr’s new book, Speed & Scale, offers concrete steps that we can all take to make a difference.” - Barack Obama With clear-eyed realism and an engineer’s precision, Doerr lays out the practical actions, global ambitions, and economic investments we need to avert climate catastrophe. Guided by real-world solutions, Speed & Scale features unprecedented, firsthand accounts from climate leaders such as Laurene Powell Jobs, Christiana Figueres, Al Gore, Mary Barra, John Kerry, and dozens of other intrepid policymakers, innovators, and scientists. In Speed & Scale, Doerr presents a compelling 10-step plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050–the global goal we need to reach to ensure a livable Earth for generations to come. From electrifying our energy grid to fixing our global food supply chain to capturing carbon from the air, Speed & Scale contains practical solutions for policymakers and entrepreneurs alike. As the world confronts an urgent climate crisis, Doerr reminds us that it is also the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetimes. Whether you’re a climate scientist or someone striving to make a difference in your local community, this book will help you to activate the sustainable solutions the world urgently needs. Praise for Speed & Scale: “Everybody should get Speed & Scale by John Doerr.” - Meryl Streep “A practical guide for participation in decarbonizing the global economy, a task as challenging as it is urgent.” - Christiana Figueres

The world is transforming its energy system from one dominated by fossil fuel combustion to one with net-zero emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary anthropogenic greenhouse gas. This energy transition is critical to mitigating climate change, protecting human health, and revitalizing the U.S. economy. To help policymakers, businesses, communities, and the public better understand what a net-zero transition would mean for the United States, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine convened a committee of experts to investigate how the U.S. could best decarbonize its transportation, electricity, buildings, and industrial sectors. This report, Accelerating Decarbonization of the United States Energy System, identifies key technological and socio-economic goals that must be achieved to put the United States on the path to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The report presents a policy blueprint outlining critical near-term actions for the first decade (2021-2030) of this 30-year effort, including ways to support communities that will be most impacted by the transition.

'Bravely challenging the Establishment consensus ... forensically argued' - Mail on Sunday The British government has embarked on an ambitious and legally-binding climate change target: reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero by 2050. The Net Zero policy was subject to almost no parliamentary or public scrutiny, and is universally approved by our political class. But what will its consequences be? Ross Clark argues that it is a terrible mistake, an impractical hostage to fortune which will have massive downsides. Achieving the target is predicated on the rapid development of technologies that are either non-existent, highly speculative or untested. Clark shows that efforts to achieve the target will inevitably result in a huge hit to living standards, which will clobber the poorest hardest, and gift a massive geopolitical advantage to hostile superpowers such as China and Russia. The unrealistic and rigid timetable it imposes could also result in our committing to technologies which turn out to be ineffective, all while distracting ourselves from the far more important objective of adaptation. This hard-hitting polemic provides a timely critique of a potentially devastating political consensus which could hobble Britain's economy, cost billions and not even be effective.

All Latin America and the Caribbean countries have ratified the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global warming to between 1.5C and 2C above pre-industrial levels. Those goals require reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by around 2050 and substantial reductions of CO2 emissions by 2030. Getting to Net-Zero Emissions takes stock of the lessons learnt from the experiences of country teams implementing the ongoing IDB-led Deep Decarbonization Pathways in Latin America and the Caribbean Project and proposes approaches to developing and delivering long-term pathways to net-zero emissions by 2050. The report shows the essential role played by long-term strategies in terms of identifying and planning the deployment of the infrastructure and policy packages necessary to ensure a just transition towards a net-zero emission economy. Long-term strategies will help governments anticipate fiscal and financial costs, manage trade-offs, minimize social impacts, and define the sequence of policy reforms and investment priorities required to deliver a carbon-neutral future. The design of long-term strategies by 2020 in line with the timeline envisaged in the context of the Paris Agreement can guide the establishment of more ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and minimize stranded assets and associated costs. Long-term strategies are an essential instrument, both to contribute to the redirection of public and private investments, and to guide the dialogue with development institutions seeking to support sustainable and inclusive development. By reading this report, we hope that decision makers and technicians will gain insights into how to deliver decarbonization successfully.