Energy plays a central role in the global economy, and for more than a century one of the cheapest and most prevalent sources of energy has been fossil fuels. Unfortunately, fossil fuels have also been a major source of carbon emissions. In 2010, fossil fuels contributed nearly two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions from human activity.

Some worry that a switch away from fossil fuels could have a significant cost to the global economy and undermine the financial system. New research conducted by CPI for the New Climate Economy project first compares the costs of low-carbon electricity and low-carbon transportation systems with current systems, then focuses on the risk of losses in the financial value of existing fossil fuel assets (so called “asset stranding”).

The analysis demonstrates that a transition to a low-carbon energy system could free up trillions of dollars over the next 20 years to invest in better economic growth.

This webinar provides of an overview of CPI’s research on moving to a low-carbon economy. Andrew Goggins and Julia Zuckerman present, followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions.