Six Roads to Zero
The Battle Against Climate Change in the Biggest Carbon Emitters
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Publishing:2nd Mar '27
£22.99
This title is due to be published on 2nd March, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
After decades of climate pledges, the world remains far from achieving net-zero emissions. The world's six largest carbon emitters - the United States, the European Union, China, India, Russia, and Saudi Arabia - are being increasingly affected by climate-related extreme events. All six have pledged to achieve “net-zero carbon”. Yet as a group, these countries are failing to curb the growth of emissions, and only two of the six have succeeded in reducing them. Six Roads to Zero explains this contradiction and anticipates where the battle against climate change may go in the coming decades. Through six in-depth case studies, Thane Gustafson explores how each of these major emitter's unique combination of political, economic, and technological factors impact the successes and failures of climate strategy at both national and international levels. Identifying critical arenas where climate politics plays out, Gustafson combines sharp analysis of policy reversals, geopolitical distractions, and technological advances, with a sobering outlook: the age of fossil fuels is far from over. Yet, amid setbacks, there are still open roads to net-zero. Six Roads to Zero highlights how each of the major emitters can contribute in their own way to a global transition.
Thane Gustafson is one of the first to recognize the pivotal role Saudi Arabia will play in any successful energy transition. He explains the paradox of Saudi energy policy; why political stability in the world's largest oil exporter depends on both maintaining oil revenue and diversifying away from it. Six Roads to Zero helps us understand the Saudi commitment to net zero, why it is funding renewable research and how it is rapidly expanding solar power production. * David H. Rundell, author of Vision or Mirage: Saudi Arabia at the Crossroads *
In turbulent times, governments worldwide are putting energy security ahead of climate policy. Fossil fuels are booming. But wars and energy panics create still-larger incentives for countries to install renewables and go electric. With wit and authority, Gustafson explains how self-interest could yet save the planet. * David Rennie, geopolitics editor and columnist, The Economist *
Gustafson's book does an excellent job of showing why and how both national policies and the international system arrived where they are, and where they might go from here. He traces the interplay of political and business ambition, energy-security concerns, and technological change, and illustrates it throughout with examples at the national and regional level. The result is a clear, even-handed analysis, delivered in an engaging and accessible way without ever sacrificing the complexity of the issues. Strongly recommended for newcomers and experts alike. * Sergey Vakulenko, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace *
Thane Gustafson provides a unique perspective, at once global and local, in this brilliant, elegant, and carefully even-handed comparison of the diverse decarbonization challenges and opportunities faced by the global big six. * Jesse Scott, Hertie School Adjunct Professor and European University Institute Senior Fellow *
ISBN: 9780197868034
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
332 pages