ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses three key enablers for decarbonisation: the digitalisation of energy use, the circular economy approach to the use of materials, and the metals and minerals required for low-carbon energy technologies.
New digital technologies already play an important role on the supply side of the energy system. Such uses will doubtless increase, but will also be extended to energy use in industry, transport and buildings. This chapter discusses the many opportunities in this area and how the barriers to their realisation may be addressed. Also, given trends in urbanisation and development, and the consequent massive need for infrastructure in many countries, the extraction and use of materials of all kinds is bound to increase, especially in lower-income countries, with, on current trends, an associated increase in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This chapter shows that both these outcomes can be reduced by a combination of strong climate action and policies for resource efficiency and a circular economy. Changing the energy system to eliminate carbon emissions will also be material-intensive in a different way, with batteries and renewable energy technologies using many metals that are currently extracted in small quantities. These quantities will have to be greatly increased if projected increases in electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels are to be delivered. This is a huge challenge for companies and governments involved in the production of minerals and metals.
