8. Decarbonisation
Planet Earth’s climate is changing for the worse.
Yet, just as human activity has created the climate predicament, human
innovation could solve it.
Decarbonisation is one of the most pressing, globally shared objectives of the
21st century. It can put us on a path that limits warming and reduces its impacts.
Transitioning to clean energy sources and adopting clean technologies would
make this path a reality.
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12. Robotics &
Artificial Intelligence
Robots and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms are becoming smarter and
more capable than ever before.
At the same time, weakened supply chains, rising wages, labor shortages,
have created greater demand for automation technology.
As robot and AI adoption grows, we are likely to see productivity surge, the
costs of services fall, and the very nature of work drastically change.
Affordable Electricity: Becoming cheaper than electricity produced by fossil fuels (see following sections)
Amazon & Walmart among companies with plans to decarbonize using renewable energy and clean technologies1
Energy Independence: 75% global population lives in country that is net importer of fossil fuels. Renewable energy could yield energy independence2
Labor: Employment in renewables is rapidly growing & should increase as the transition continues to gain momentum
Clean Power Sources: Solar and wind power generation produce no direct greenhouse gas emissions
After 3 years of operation, a solar panel pays off “carbon debt” from manufacturing3
After 6 months–1 year of operation, a wind turbine pays off “carbon debt” from manufacturing4
Highly Scalable: Solar and wind energy are the easiest renewable sources to scale
In many markets solar energy is least expensive electricity that can be quickly integrated & requires little maintenance
Efficient: Wind power in particular is more efficient than many other cost competitive power sources
Boasts 35-50% efficiency, more efficient than most fossil fuel powerplants5,6