Post carbon pathways: Towards a just and resilient post carbon future

Post carbon pathways: Towards a just and resilient post carbon future / John Wiseman, Taegen Edwards and Kate Luckins. Centre for Policy Development and Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, April 2013, 52 p. (CPD Occasional Paper)

http://www.postcarbonpathways.net.au/

This report draws on in-depth interviews with leading international researchers, policy makers and activists on actions needed to drive the rapid implementation of large scale post carbon economy transition strategies.

Key points (© CPD & Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute) :

Learning from leading international post-carbon economy researchers and policy makers

1. The probability and risks of global warming of four degrees or more are rapidly increasing. This is, however, an argument for visionary leadership and decisive action – not political paralysis and buck-passing.

2. The technological and economic roadmaps showing the actions we need to take to avoid catastrophic global warming are now widely understood. From Germany to California and from the United Kingdom to China the global momentum for implementation of large scale de-carbonisation strategies is rapidly accelerating.

3. The biggest roadblocks preventing implementation of large-scale de-carbonisation strategies at the speed required to prevent runaway climate change are primarily political not technological. The key roadblocks are:

• Climate science denial
• The power of the fossil fuel industry and its allies
• Political paralysis
• Unsustainable consumption of energy and resources
• Path dependencies and outdated infrastructure
• Financial and governance constraints

4. The key actions needed to overcome these political roadblocks are:

• Clear understanding of the necessity and possibility of an emergency speed transition to a just and resilient post-carbon future;
• Broad recognition of the potentially enormous social and economic benefits of switching investment from fossil fuels to energy efficiency, renewable energy and carbon sequestration;
• Game changing social and technological innovation;
• Decisive leadership and skillful implementation by communities, business and government – at every level of society.

Danièle Revel

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