The potential contribution of disruptive low-carbon innovations to 1.5 °C climate mitigation

Wilson, Charles ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8164-3566, Pettifor, Hazel, Cassar, Emma, Kerr, Laurie and Wilson, Mark (2019) The potential contribution of disruptive low-carbon innovations to 1.5 °C climate mitigation. Energy Efficiency, 12 (2). 423–440. ISSN 1570-646X

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Abstract

This paper investigates the potential for consumer-facing innovations to contribute emission reductions for limiting warming to 1.5 °C. First, we show that global integrated assessment models which characterise transformation pathways consistent with 1.5 °C mitigation are limited in their ability to analyse the emergence of novelty in energy end-use. Second, we introduce concepts of disruptive innovation which can be usefully applied to the challenge of 1.5 °C mitigation. Disruptive low-carbon innovations offer novel value propositions to consumers and can transform markets for energy-related goods and services while reducing emissions. Third, we identify 99 potentially disruptive low-carbon innovations relating to mobility, food, buildings and cities, and energy supply and distribution. Examples at the fringes of current markets include car clubs, mobility-as-a-service, prefabricated high-efficiency retrofits, internet of things, and urban farming. Each of these offers an alternative to mainstream consumer practices. Fourth, we assess the potential emission reductions from subsets of these disruptive low-carbon innovations using two methods: a survey eliciting experts’ perceptions and a quantitative scaling-up of evidence from early-adopting niches to matched segments of the UK population. We conclude that disruptive low-carbon innovations which appeal to consumers can help efforts to limit warming to 1.5 °C.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: consumers,energy end-use,innovation,mitigation,energy(all),sdg 13 - climate action ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/2100
Faculty \ School: Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
UEA Research Groups: University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Environmental Social Sciences
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Pure Connector
Date Deposited: 16 May 2018 14:31
Last Modified: 01 May 2024 23:51
URI: https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/67093
DOI: 10.1007/s12053-018-9679-8

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