Ep. 501: Is 2050 a Realistic Net-Zero Goal?
Guest: Roger Pielke, Jr.
As we edge forward to a goal of net-zero in Canada and the United States, the reality of that aspiration runs headlong into the on-going and increasing need for energy.
Net-zero means completely negating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity. The theory is that a combination of emissions reductions and the implementation of carbon sequestering can and will balance the volume of carbon in the atmosphere with the volume that we remove.
There are countless initiatives underway. For example, a Canadian company called Svante based in British Columbia has been enjoying impressive results. So, too, is Bill Gates’ carbon capture company Graphyte. That company’s website acknowledges that 5 to 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide need to be removed from the atmosphere annually by 2050; today the world removes less than 0.001% of that.
The quest is underway, but at what cost? In British Columbia, the government acknowledges its commitment to net-zero will have a significant impact on the economy. That impact, in turn, will increase the cost of living and lower per-capita GDP.
Roger Pielke Jr, the author of the “Iron Law,” states that when the cost of carbon mitigation impacts the cost of living, voters turn away from protecting the environment and so do politicians.
He joins us today for a Conversation That Matters about whether net-zero by 2050 is realistic.
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