Brandon McWilliams is right. We are on the path to an apocalypse, and octogenarians like me are to blame.
Zero carbon by 2050 is feasible and possible — but not without forceful public policy, major new investment and strong industry leadership. The needed technologies are known, but significant further development must occur before large-scale deployment is possible. Large new investments in new technologies must be made in the 2020s to achieve full decarbonization by 2050.
Carbon prices or regulations that achieve it will be required across major economic sectors worldwide, but if they are required only in one country, they will be disadvantaged by producers located elsewhere.
If auto manufacturers committed to make their cars from low- and eventually zero-carbon steel, and major retailers committed to use freight services only from shipping companies driving emissions-reducing vehicles, they could provide a major impetus for change.
Rapid acceleration is necessary. To that end, the World Economic Forum is launching the Mission Possible Platform for several industries, including trucking, shipping, aviation, steel, aluminum and chemicals, bringing together corporate leaders committed to accelerate progress toward net-zero emissions.
Cyril F. Baumgartner, Mercer Island