The Breakthrough Effect: How tipping points can accelerate net zero.
According to a report released at the recent World Economic Forum, three “super-tipping points” for climate action could trigger a cascade of tipping points for ’’zero-carbon solutions in sectors covering 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions’’.
The report, titled ‘’the breakthrough effect’’, talks about tipping points or leverage points, meaning where a small intervention can cause a large snowball or chainreaction effect. Meaning, if one intervention cuts emissions or develops new technology in one key sector, it also supports faster changes in other parts of the economy.
The three identified tipping points in the rapport are: mandates for the sale of electric vehicles, mandates requiring “green ammonia” to be used in the manufacturing of agricultural fertilisers, and public procurement of plant-based proteins. They can lead to massive knock-on effects, like ‘’cheaper batteries to help solar and wind scale-up in the electricity sector, cheaper hydrogen opening up decarbonisation for the shipping and steel industries, and reduced pressure for deforestation’’
Tipping points occur when a zero-carbon solution becomes more competitive than the existing high-carbon option. The snowball effect that follows will be a huge changemaker. If a product sells more, it will lead to cheaper products, higher demand and thus turning around the supply and demand of sustainable products and services. The report highlights these key opportunities and is supporting iniatatives that will target them to undertake action.
According to the report three “super-tipping points” for climate action could trigger a cascade of tipping points for ’’zero-carbon solutions in sectors covering 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions’’
Passenger electric vehicles are already at or close to a tipping point and are set to dominate projected demand for batteries, with estimates suggesting that electric vehicles will account for ~70% of total installed battery capacity in 2030.
The reduction in livestock farming as a practice could free up an estimated ~400-800 million hectares of land, equivalent to 7-15% of agricultural land today.
