For a Special Volume of the Journal of Cleaner Production on achieving lowo fossil-carbon economies based upon the essential transformations to support them

摘要

Our current industrial civilization is at several critical crossroads. Fossil-carbon based energy systems, which currently support our societies must be replaced. Indeed, there is a growing public concern on climate change, arguably derived, in large part, due to fossil fuel-based industrial activities. Numerous reports have documented that the occurrence of extreme weather conditions such as heat waves, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes are becoming more frequent and severer (Steffen, 2013; Zuo and Zhao, 2014). Numerous scientists have predicted that we are on the brink of a mass extinction of plant and animal life by the end of this century due to the climatological changes that are being caused by the rapidly increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Thomas et al, 2004). Therefore, it is increasingly clear that new developmental models are needed, which can take us, and subsequent generations to more sustainable futures.