Breathe Easy: The Future of Energy is Here

Although still at the drawing board, negative emissions technologies (NETs), such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) or massive forestation programmes, have received extensive interest as one of the only ways to meet ambitious climate targets. The debate over BECCS is likely to focus on the sustainability of biomass feedstock (food versus fuel). The successful deployment of NETs could potentially challenge the consensus in favour of energy savings and efficiency since greater energy use in a net-negative emissions world could be considered a virtue.

For some people the mention of hydrogen conjures up images of the flaming Hindenburg airship, for others hydrogen is thought of as a fuel of tomorrow. Some are sceptical of the hydrogen economy altogether. I hope to change people's perceptions of hydrogen and show that its adoption has already begun in the UK and around Europe. Policy has been and will continue to be key for expanding its use and deployment. Research and development are also important and I will share the work we have been doing at H2GO Power with solid-state hydrogen storage.

For a scientific recipe for policy making: take the weight of evidence, mix with technical prowess, add a pinch of social climate, and whisk together with economic feasibility. Using examples from geoengineering to diesel filters in buses I will provide a variant of a recipe for good policy making for Government Scientific Advisors.

Climate mitigation policy to date has largely focused on supply side solutions meaning the “magic bullets” of carbon-free energy supplies; however, it is extremely unlikely that we will be able to create enough carbon-free energy to match current levels of demand. In contrast, if we all chose to live differently, we could live very well with much less energy. No one is lobbying for the option which sounds like a vote for austerity. This talk considers how we can go about developing policies that really will mitigate the risk associated with climate change.