When the historians of some future civilization write about the times we are living in now it is possible that two phrases will be frequently quoted. They are ‘Hubbert Curve’ and ‘Limits to Growth’. They will use these terms to illustrate how the people of our time were well informed as to the predicaments that were heading their way, but they chose not to take action.
The matching YouTube for this article is located at the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Scopes video.
Many companies in the energy and process industries have committed to a Net Zero program. Their aim is to cease net emissions of greenhouse gases by a specific year, often 2050. In order to properly define their goal these companies need to identify the emissions for which they are responsible.
The phrase ‘Net Zero by 2050’ has been adopted by many organizations: governments, companies and non-profits. It means that the organization in question aims to have net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by the year 2050.
This book describes Net Zero programs: what they are, why they are needed, and how they can be achieved.
The book is organized into the following seven chapters and six Attachments.
What this NOAA article is saying is that it is not the absolute amount of a resource that matters — it is our ability to extract it economically. In the case of gold, it is highly unlikely that it will ever make sense to extract if from the sea. It is simply too dilute. So much for this “get rich quick” scheme.
When discussing Net Zero programs a question that people in the energy and process industries frequently ask is, “How will it affect my career? What do I need to do to stay employed?” Professionals in those industries are rightly concerned that their skills will be less needed in a rapidly changing world, particularly in a world where oil companies have stated that they intend to leave the oil business. And who can blame them for their concern? Change is coming, and change is threatening.
The term “Kodak Moment” originally referred to a rare or special occasion that was captured on (Kodak) film. The term has also come to describe a situation in which a company fails to foresee structural changes in its industry such that the company eventually falls into bankruptcy.
In September 2020 the company BP published their 2020 Energy Outlook. The report's Summary states,
The good old days
This post is the second in the series ‘The Shape of Net Zero’. The series is based on an understanding that we cannot simply switch out one source of energy (fossil fuels) with another (wind, solar, nuclear and others) and carry on with Business as Usual. We need to consider the following parameters to do with a switch in the basics of our energy supply.
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