Breaking the Mould: Ceramics at the Core of Renewable Innovations

The world's biggest polluters are on a pathway to cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

China, India, the United States, and the European Union have joined over 9,000 organisations, cities, and other institutions in the race towards net-zero.

Australia, as the world’s 14th highest emitter and one of the world’s largest economies, has a crucial role to play in this.

Burning fossil fuels remains Australia’s top contributor for carbon emissions. Energy production accounts for 32.6% of overall total emissions, while stationery energy (22.3%), and transport (21.1) are all causing damage to the environment.

Climate targets are an important step in paving the way for a greener future. But putting those plans into practice remains a challenge.

In fact, a recent analysis from the United Nations’ Global Carbon Budget, shows carbon emissions are at a record high.

Dr Pep Canadell is a Chief Research Scientist at Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

“The latest Global Carbon Budget shows progress in an increasing number of countries but faster, larger, and sustained efforts are needed to avoid significant negative impacts of climate change on human health, the economy, and the environment,” Dr Canadell said.

The rise in emissions comes on the back of economies rebounding from the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw the world, and emissions came to a grinding halt.

It casts doubt over the 2015 Paris Agreement, which is a legally binding climate treaty committed to pursuing efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

“If the temperature targets of the Paris Agreement are crossed, the global effort to reach net zero emissions will require a massive, and perhaps unachievable, scale-up of deliberate carbon dioxide removal to bring down global temperatures.”

Dr Canadell is also the Executive Director of the Global Carbon Project, which provides practical steps for reaching climate goals.

CSIRO believes technology, alongside developments in materials science, is one way to help drive down emissions and secure Australia’s future.

Sustainable energy and resources, and resilient and valuable environments remain the cornerstones of the six challenges CSIRO’s assisting the nation to overcome.

Scientists are partnering with end-users to help make these plans a reality, and technology