BusinessDesk Article - 21 April 2022

Google's Approach to renewables could power NZ's carbon zero ambitions

Peter Griffin - Thu, 21 Apr 2022

If there’s one thing to take away from the increasingly grim reports issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is that we need to switch to renewable energy as quickly as possible.

Sure, we can plant trees, capture carbon from factories and lower energy consumption, but the real game-changer will be slashing the use of fossil fuels this decade. The world’s climate scientists told us earlier this month that limiting warming to around 1.5°C will require greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2025 and be reduced by 43% by 2030.

Even containing warming to 2°C, which will see us have to live with more damaging droughts and extreme weather events, still requires emissions to peak by 2025 and reduce by a quarter by 2030.

We are up against it, but the discussion is finally turning to the burning question of which mix of solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, nuclear and green hydro energy production we can get operating to accelerate the transition.

BusinessDesk have kindly provided permission to share the introduction to this brilliant article. To read further please click the link below (note this is behind a paywall)

https://businessdesk.co.nz/article/googles-approach-to-renewables-could-power-nzs-carbon-zero-ambitions