Page 64 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2019 publication
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64 Summer 2019 European Energy Innovation
GLOBAL WARMING
Reference: Climate Action Tracker, December 2018 update properly coupled, will we be able to
use synergies, complementarities and
switching capabilities between and
across the various energy vectors.
Only a systemic holistic and cross-
sectoral restructuring of human
activity can achieve the challenge of
climate neutrality.
No climate neutral society without
social and lifestyle innovation
Today, economic and demographic
growth are still strongly coupled to
increasing carbon emissions, and the
progressive alignment of the poorest
countries to western standards
reinforces this development. We
witness the Jevons paradox: thanks
to technological progress, we need
less resources, but at the same time
the rate of consumption rises, so that
the gains are lost.
failing to curb emissions. The latest The Mission is to make society With the current limits to decoupling
data suggests that we are on the climate neutral, not to develop new these parameters, achieving
verge of reaching tipping points in technologies decarbonization targets will require,
climate and ecosystems that might The ultimate and only relevant goal beyond technological breakthroughs,
lead to an acceleration of planetary for humanity is to avoid climate deep understanding of the drivers
destabilization. chaos by containing global warming. that enable us to steer the profound
transformation of our core societal
Since the “Age of the Enlightenment”, Only a holistic, cross-sectoral and values.
man has consistently relied systemic approach can tackle such
on scientific and technology a challenge. It implies fundamentally Reaching climate neutrality will
development to overcome – or rethinking the globality of human require a drastic change in the way
displace – the challenges of human activities in all their relationship to citizens relate to energy production,
society. But can technology now energy in whatever of its forms. conservation and consumption, a
alone save human life on earth? For instance, electrifying mobility shift that needs to materialize in
only supports this mission, if a much shorter time lapse than
A new Age of Enlightenment: carbon-free generated electricity lifestyle, cultural and societal changes
Science beyond technology is used to charge batteries that have historically occurred. Market
In the race to reduce emissions, have been assembled with efficient mechanisms alone are highly unlikely
technological development is and sustainable processes, and if to drive such a profound change,
a key enabler; but reaching circularity is implemented for core especially considering the well-known
climate neutrality is calling for materials they use. And only if the “rebound effect” through which
actions reaching far beyond resulting distributed electrical storage household energy savings are usually
technology. It is about how human is designed as integral part of the mostly converted into other carbon-
activity can fundamentally electricity system can it avoid over rich economic activities.
restructure itself towards climate dimensioning generators, transport
neutrality and how technology can and distribution networks or In that respect, social innovation will
be put at best use to support this central storage. Furthermore, only if be essential to better understand
transformation. electricity, heat and gas networks are how human kind can reinvent its
society at a pace and to an extent
that were never historically achieved.
Climate urgency calls for new
ways of thinking, designing, testing,
implementing and deploying new
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