Sustainable E-fuel
Sustainable e-fuel is a type of synthetic fuel, nearly identical to fossil fuels, produced by using renewable energy to chemically convert readily available resources like hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This process results in a fuel that can be used in current combustion engines, including those in jets and ships. Sustainable e-fuels offer a way to decarbonize the transportation sector, especially in areas like aviation and shipping, where electrification is challenging. Expanding the production and use of sustainable e-fuels requires investment in renewable energy infrastructure and technologies for hydrogen and carbon monoxide synthesis. Policies that incentivize research, development, and deployment of e-fuels technologies can accelerate adoption. Building partnerships with industries that have high energy demands, such as aviation and maritime sectors, will be crucial to integrate e-fuels into existing fuel supply chains without extensive modifications to engines.
Achieving the Paris Climate Agreement Goals Part 2: Science-based Target Setting for the Finance industry—Net-Zero Sectoral 1.5˚C Pathways for Real Economy Sectors
The One Earth Climate Model (OECM) began as a research project supported by One Earth between the University of Technology Sydney, the German Aerospace Centre, and the University of Melbourne in 2017. They were tasked with developing a detailed 1.5˚C GHG trajectory for ten world regions without the continued use of fossil fuels or unproven technologies like carbon capture and storage. The results of the first model made it clear that it is still possible to limit warming to 1.5˚C with a rapid transition to 100% renewable energy sources. However, the model did not yet have the granularity the financial sector needed to guide and benchmark net-zero investments. The book, Achieving the Paris Climate Agreement Goals Part 2: Science-based Target Setting for the Finance Industry — Net-Zero Sectoral 1.5˚C Pathways for Real Economy Sectors, is designed as a continuation of this group’s 2019 first edition, which focused on country-specific energy pathways. Decarbonization pathways have been developed for countries, regions, and communities, but never before for industry sectors in a detailed way. While the book consists of 400 pages of dense methodologies and calculations, its topline message is clear; in the words of the lead author Sven Teske, “ We can limit global warming to 1.5˚C with the technology pathways we describe... I would call it an action plan to save the future for our children and their children."