ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses that long-term stabilization is achievable with current technology. Emissions stabilization and then reduction will occur as each of these wedges is addressed. It presents a part of the case for action by identifying a set of options that have the capacity to provide the seven stabilization wedges and solve the climate problem for the next half-century. Energy efficiency, switching to low-carbon energy sources, and biological storage are the three core components for the wedges. The "stabilization triangle," located between the flat trajectory and BAU, removes exactly one-third of Business-As-Usual (BAU) emissions. To keep the focus on technologies that have the potential to produce a material difference by 2054, we divide the stabilization triangle into seven equal "wedges." Wedges can be achieved from energy efficiency, from the decarbonization of the supply of electricity and fuels, and from biological storage in forests and agricultural soils.