Environment

Energy technology adoption

I am currently reading How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates. The book outlines a practical and science-driven roadmap to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Drawing on years of research, conversations with experts, and investments in clean technologies, Gates explains the scale of the climate challenge, the science behind global warming, and why cutting emissions to zero—not just reducing them—is essential.

On interesting graph that is presented in the book is an overview of how different carbon energy sources historically has been adopted as major energy sources. The graph implies that this typically happends over a 60 years time span. As we (the world) are on the verge of both a climate disaster and a renewables revolution, we can`t spend 60 years on this process.

How can this time span be significantly reduced? Well the medicine if large technological innovations, policy changes, and global cooperation onb a much larger scale than previous energy adoption cycles.

Sources of greenhouse gas emissions

Bill Gates has written a book about the environmental crisis called "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need". It was published in 2021.

The book is structured around two core questions: How bad is the problem, and what do we need to do to solve it? The book breaks down the sources of these emissions, highlighting the main sectors:

  1. Manufacturing (31%): This includes emissions from producing materials like cement, steel, and plastics.

  2. Electricity Production (27%): Primarily from burning fossil fuels like coal and natural gas.

  3. Agriculture (19%): Emissions from livestock, fertilizer use, and other agricultural practices.

  4. Transportation (16%): Emissions from cars, trucks, airplanes, and ships.

  5. Buildings (7%): Emissions from heating and cooling buildings.

And of course, the solution to these emissions is a combination of technologial innovation, government policies and market mechanisms. But the main take away from the book is the granular approach to reducing emissions within each segment and sub-segment of emission