Sustainable Solutions Lab
Recent Publications
Ownership of power plants stranded by climate mitigation
We use detailed data from 16,438 power plants worldwide to evaluate the scale of financial risks by region, generator type, and corporate ownership. Of the 100 companies that own the most stranded assets by value, the very largest are state-owned, and the top twenty-five companies cumulatively hold upwards of $770 and $224 billion in stranded assets under a 1.5°C and 2.0°C scenarios, respectively.
Trade risks in net-zero emissions energy scenarios
We analyze changes in country-level trade risks in >1000 scenarios that reach net-zero energy emissions, taking into account imports and sources of both energy carriers and materials to meet demand, and find that reductions in fuel-related risks largely offset the increase in material-related risks in more than 70% of countries worldwide, assuming no changes in current trading relationships.
Food without agriculture
Edible molecules can be directly synthesized without agricultural feedstocks, saving land, water and GHG emissions. Dietary fats made from natural gas feedstock and average U.S. electricity would emit ~0.8 gCO2-eq/kcal (and 0 if using atmospheric carbon and renewable electricity) compared to 1-3 gCO2-eq/kcal from agricultural fat production.
Recent News
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Funding cuts could put research into emerging threats to lung health at risk
Wildfire smoke, spore-spread fungal diseases and microplastic are all on the rise, even as the US government slashes support for respiratory research and policy. -
Another Way Companies Majorly Undercount Their Emissions
The most popular scope 3 models assume an entirely American supply chain. That doesn’t square with reality.
