The Bureau of Economic Geology hosts this special seminar featuring University of Oxford Professor Myles Allen, director of the Oxford Net Zero Initiative and professor of Geosystem Science at the Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Department of Physics, University of Oxford.
- Time: Monday, January 29, 11am-noon
- Location: BEG Building 130, VR Room 1.116C
You may also join by Zoom
- Zoom: https://utexas.zoom.us/j/93201377630?pwd=KzF3TW53SFYzSUg4SUZVNGtxd3JvZz…
- Meeting ID: 932 0137 7630
- Passcode: 013011
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Lecture Synopsis
Geological Net Zero: How We Will Stop Fossil Fuels from Causing Global Warming
With a changing climate, the northern Gulf of Mexico suffers from various coastal hazards, In a remarkably short space of time, net zero has become common currency. Yet as net zero commitments have proliferated, so has confusion about what they actually mean. I will explain what we originally meant by net zero: what it will take to achieve a durable halt to global warming. A durable net zero cannot rely on offsetting continued fossil fuel use with afforestation or nature-based solutions: The capacity of the global biosphere is limited, and even the definition of biological carbon dioxide removal is contestable. If it is to deliver our climate goals, net zero must encompass geological net zero, a state in which, for every tonne of carbon dioxide still generated from fossil sources, one tonne is permanently restored to the geosphere through carbon capture and geological storage or some other equally permanent disposal. Geological Net Zero is surprisingly affordable, but won’t be delivered by conventional policies like carbon taxes or emission trading schemes: It calls for a fundamental rethink of the role and obligations of the fossil fuel industry itself. A global Alliance for Geological Net Zero may be the only way to stop fossil fuels from causing further global warming in time to meet Paris Agreement goals. Despite it being increasingly obvious that it is needed, not a single country, company, state or province has yet committed to geological net zero: There is a small piece of history out there waiting for whoever decides to be first.