Summary:
- Navigating Planetary Limits: Understanding and respecting planetary boundaries is imperative to prevent irreversible environmental damage. Overshooting these limits can lead to weakened resilience and exacerbate social inequalities.
- Energy Transition and Global Dynamics: The transition from fossil fuels to renewables is vital for sustainable economic wellbeing. This shift may bring about geopolitical realignments and alter access to clean energy resources.
- Geopolitical Impacts of Clean Energy: The globalised nature of economies requires collaborative efforts for a sustainable energy transition. Disparities in resource access could lead to geopolitical tensions, with clean energy leadership conferring economic advantages.
- Unmasking Energy Costs and Environmental Impact: Overlooking the true costs of energy extraction and consumption perpetuates ‘energy blindness’. Acknowledging these costs is crucial for informed decision-making and sustainable energy policies.
- Superorganism Dynamics and Global Challenges: Modern society functions as a superorganism driven by economic growth. This poses challenges in decoupling economic growth from environmental impact, with climate change and population growth intricately linked.
- Carbon Decoupling for Sustainability: Achieving sustainable solutions requires addressing carbon-intensive industries. In some cases, contraction rather than perpetual growth may be necessary for true sustainability.
- Finance, Credit and Societal Change: The transition to sustainable geopolitical energy futures will reshape global society and the industrial ecosystems. Balancing credit, finance and debt will be crucial in navigating this transformation.
This is the fourth special report in our series on Geopolitical Energy Futures. Explore the series:
Special Report 1:
Special Report 2:
Special Report 3:
Overview of the Series:
