A lot of countries and companies have set targets for eliminating their contributions to climate change, but prefaced by the term “net zero.” I looked into what this actually means and whether it leads to meaningful reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Moonshot
One of the big discussions in clean energy right now is whether we should run with the technologies we have now or focus on developing better ones. For an urgent problem like climate change, several prominent investors say they would like to fund research that could one day yield a breakthrough instead of deploying the wind turbines and solar panels already on the market.
Hydrogen in, water out
Several automakers in China and the United States have their sights set on battery-powered cars and trucks. For Japan, hydrogen is shaping up to be their strategic bet. Companies in the resource-strapped island nation are building up infrastructure to import and distribute hydrogen, while major car companies like Toyota are bringing to fuel cell cars to their showrooms.
Conscious Decoupling
A new report from the International Energy Agency has found that global carbon emissions from energy have stayed flat while economies have grown. Some analysts take this to mean that economic growth and carbon pollution are no longer linked.
However, others note that energy is not the only source of greenhouse gases -- agriculture and transportation are major emitters -- and that low natural gas prices in the United States have displaced dirtier coal, a feat other countries cannot replicate as easily.
A coal barge on the Rhine River in Bonn, Germany
Blossoming Solar
The technology for solar energy has improved drastically over the past decade, but scientists think it can still do better. While there are fundamental limitations, there are loopholes that can make solar panels more efficient and cheap.
However, solar energy companies and market analysts say red tape is the main hurdle holding the industry back. Permitting costs and local regulations often prove costly for rooftop solar installations and make utility installations less attractive for investors.