Member-only story
Why Net-Zero By 2050 Based on Lithium, Wind And Solar Is Not Achievable
And how environmental crises are a structural feature of our economic system.
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The global effort to reach net-zero by 2050 based on the transition from fossil-fuel energy to lithium batteries, wind turbine arrays and solar farms is not achievable. This is a story of why.
Environmental crises are a structural feature of our economic system that have spurred the adoption of new sources of primary energy which in turn have driven industrial and technological innovation, triggered step change increases in total resource (including fossil resources) and energy demand, and propelled significant economic expansion.
Decarbonisation based on lithium, wind turbine, and solar arrays by 2050 is not possible because these technologies offer very low energy densities given which, an unachievable number of renewable power stations would need to be built to replace the current fossil-fuel fleet and meet forecast energy needs for 2050. Even if the buildout of renewable infrastructure is dramatically accelerated, it would involve a massive increase in fossil fuel demand, and requires more copper, nickel, lithium than mineral reserves hold.
