University of Toronto researchers argue the key challenge with moving away from fossil fuels is "carbon lock-in," or the economic, political and social inertia that inhibits alternative energy technologies from gaining traction.
A new study by two University of Toronto researchers is proposing a different way to think about tackling climate change – one that shifts focus away from emissions reductions in favour of eliminating fossil fuel energy altogether. The research is published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
“Focusing only on emissions reductions can potentially miss – and mischaracterize – the more important challenge of decarbonization,” says Matthew Hoffmann, a professor of political science at U of T Scarborough who co-authored the study.
“We need a new way to think about the decarbonization challenge and a new means to explore policies and practices that can begin deep, meaningful decarbonization efforts.”
Hoffmann (left) says the challenge with decarbonization is carbon lock-in. There are technological, economic, political and social forces that make the use of fossil energy natural and taken for granted by households, cities, provinces and countries.
“Any efforts at decarbonization really need to take into account how carbon lock-in is a very similar problem at multiple levels, and they all tend to reinforce one another,” he says.
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