What's often missing from the conversation about getting to net-zero emissions is a recognition of the difficulty in transforming the complex physical assets underlying our current energy system ' a system that has been optimized over centuries to deliver high performance, that is deeply embedded in the global economy, and that serves billions of people. McKinsey Global Institute Research has identified 25 significant technology and infrastructure challenges that need to be overcome. These relate not only to the development and deployment of low-emissions technologies, but also to the supply chains and underlying infrastructure that need to be transformed....
We are providing an unedited version of this manuscript to give early access to its findings. Before final publication, the manuscript will undergo further editing. Please note there may be errors present which affect the content, and all legal disclaimers apply. Achieving net zero global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), with declining emissions of other greenhouse gases, is widely expected to halt global warming. CO2 emissions will continue to drive warming until fully balanced by active anthropogenic CO2 removals. For practical reasons, however, many greenhouse gas accounting systems allow some a''passivea'' CO2 uptake, such as enhanced vegetation growth due to CO2 fertilisation, to be included as removals in the definition of net anthropogenic emissions. By including passive CO2 uptake, nominal net zero emissions would not halt global warming, undermining the Paris Agreement. Here we discuss measures addressing this problem, to ensure residual fossil fuel use does not cause further global warming: land management categories should be disaggregated in emissions reporting and targets to better separate the role of passive CO2 uptake; where possible, claimed removals should be additional to passive uptake; and targets should acknowledge the need for Geological Net Zero, meaning one tonne of CO2 permanently restored to the solid Earth for every tonne still generated from fossil sources. We also argue that scientific understanding of net zero provides a basis for allocating responsibility for the protection of passive carbon sinks during and after the transition to Geological Net Zero....
The industrial sector, including manufacturing and its interconnected value chains, contributes nearly 30% to global greenhouse gas emissions, making it a crucial player in the pursuit of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. As a crucial player in the global economy with a vast associated network of stakeholders, decarbonizing the industrial sector won't be simple. The transition to net zero emissions is not just an environmental imperative, but also a key to ensure the long-term competitiveness and sustainable development of the industry. For companies, it means a fundamental rethinking and restructuring of production and operational models to address different scopes of emission, which face financial, technical and organizational challenges. When it comes to decarbonizing the industrial sector's value chain, Scope 3 emissions present a complicated challenge. Scope 3 encompasses all indirect emissions not included in Scope 2, which occur throughout the value chain of the company reporting them, including those from upstream and downstream sources....
The strong demand for aluminium continues, which is unsurprising given its importance in 21st-century life ' from drink cans to smartphones. Its lightweight properties make it invaluable to the aviation and car production industries as well. Traditional aluminium production is energy intensive and high in carbon emissions, contributing 2% to annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Now, the industry is grappling with how to meet its net zero targets by 2050. The Mission Possible Partnership's (MPP) Global Projects Tracker highlights the state of play and details industry leaders' and public stakeholders' progress towards this transition. It maps investment decisions and operations of net-zero-aligned projects globally throughout the aluminium sector, revealing a growing pipeline of projects. Out of the 70 low-carbon aluminium production facilities targeted by 2030 globally, 40 will need to be built or retrofitted in the next six years. Compared with the start of 2023, three times more projects have been announced (now totalling 13), and twice as many have reached final investment decisions ' from two to five. However, accelerating strategies for unlocking investment and increasing development is essential....
