Systematic map of the literature on carbon lock-in induced by long-lived capital
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15550203 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vivien Fisch-Romito (0000-0002-2419-196X, CIRED, corresponding author), Céline Guivarch (0000-0002-9405-256X, École nationale des ponts et chaussées), Felix Creutzig (0000-0002-5710-3348, Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change), Jan C Minx (0000-0002-2862-0178, University of Leeds), Max Callaghan (0000-0001-8292-8758, University of Leeds) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 053004-053004 |
| Publication date | 2020-07-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Environmental Research Letters (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1748-9326 • E-ISSN: 1748-9326 |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1088/1748-9326/aba660 |
| OpenAlex | W3042309317 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 25 |
| References cited | 141 |
Long-lived capital-stocks (LLCS) such as infrastructure and buildings have significant and long-lasting implications for greenhouse gas emissions. They contribute to carbon lock-in and may hinder a rapid decarbonization of energy systems. Here we provide a systematic map of the literature on carbon lock-in induced by LLCS. Based on a structured search of the Web of Science and Scopus, we identified 226 publications from 38 095 search results using a supervised machine learning approach. We show biases toward power generation and toward developed countries. We also identify 11 indicators used to quantify carbon lock-in. Quantifications of committed emissions (cumulative emissions that would occur over the remaining operational lifetime of an asset) or stranded assets (premature retirement/retrofitting or under-utilization of assets along a given pathway) are the most commonly used metrics, whereas institutional indicators are scarcely represented. The synthesis of quantifications shows that (i) global committed emissions have slightly increased over time, (ii) coal power plants are a major source of committed emissions and are exposed to risk of becoming stranded, (iii) delayed mitigation action increases stranded assets and (iv) sectoral distribution and amount of stranded assets differ between countries. A thematic analysis of policy implications highlights the need to assure stability and legitimacy of climate policies and to enable coordination between stakeholders. Carbon pricing is one of the most cited policy instrument, but the literature emphasizes that it should not be the only instrument used and should instead be complemented with other policy instruments, such as technical regulations and financial support for low carbon capital deployment. Further research is warranted on urban-scale, in developing countries and outside the electricity generation sector, notably on buildings, where stranded assets could be high
Business · Economics · Environmental economics · Greenhouse gas · Lock (firearm · Natural resource economics · Retrofitting · Climate Change Policy and Economics · Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies · Environmental Impact and Sustainability · Environmental Science
Stranded nations? Transition risks and opportunities towards a clean economy
Stranded assets from climate change and its response strategies
Quantifying the regional stranded asset risks from new coal plants under 1.5 °C
Progress in climate change adaptation research
Stranded assets and early closures in global coal mining under 1.5 ∘ C
Predictors of marine protection
China’s climate governance for carbon neutrality
Averting the steel carbon lock-in through strategic green investments
The cost of mitigation revisited
Stranded fossil-fuel assets translate to major losses for investors in advanced economies
Strategic retrenchment in the energy transition
The impact of Covid-19 fiscal spending on climate change adaptation and resilience
Navigating through an energy crisis
Liquefied natural gas expansion plans in Germany
Aviation sector decarbonisation as a case of deep uncertainty
Beyond Innovation Niches
Decarbonization under geoeconomic distress? Energy shocks, carbon lock‐ins, and Germany's pathway toward net zero
Heterogeneous capital stocks and economic inertia in the US economy
The evolution of “phase-out” as a bridging concept for sustainability
New coal mines in the Australian Galilee Basin are not economically viable and are prone to become stranded assets
Investment in new coal-fired power plants after the Covid-19 pandemic
Existing fossil fuel extraction would warm the world beyond 1.5 °C
Is rapid urbanization of low-elevation deltas undermining adaptation to climate change? A global review
Measurement, prediction, and interpretation of industrial carbon unlocking efficiency
Diversified policy mix selection for building carbon lock-in risk mitigation
The underestimated potential of solar energy to mitigate climate change
Carbon Lock-In
Towards governing infrasystem transitions
Near-term technology policies for long-term climate targets—economy wide versus technology specific approaches
Instrument Choice in Environmental Policy
Net-zero emissions energy systems
A methodology for systematic mapping in environmental sciences
Future CO 2 Emissions and Climate Change from Existing Energy Infrastructure
Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews
Understanding carbon lock-in
A topography of climate change research
Climate change and green transitions in an agent-based integrated assessment model
The Growth of Urban Building Stock
Making or breaking climate targets
Marginal abatement cost curves and the quality of emission reductions
Carbon Price Efficiency
The economics of targeted mitigation in infrastructure
Locked into Copenhagen pledges — Implications of short-term emission targets for the cost and feasibility of long-term climate goals
The contribution of Paris to limit global warming to 2 °C
Reports of coal’s terminal decline may be exaggerated
Assessing carbon lock-in
Commitment accounting of CO 2 emissions
More connected urban roads reduce US GHG emissions
Early transformation of the Chinese power sector to avoid additional coal lock-in
Committed emissions from existing and planned power plants and asset stranding required to meet the Paris Agreement
Optimising the Framework for Innovation in the Electricity System – Lessons from Five Case Studies in Germany
Behavioral innovations
Lessons from energy history for climate policy
The political economy of national climate policy
Suspect foundations
Rethinking climate communications and the “psychological climate paradox”
Putting an energy system transformation into practice
Stability and climate policy? Harnessing insights on path dependence, policy feedback, and transition pathways
Take me to your leader
Navigating a trilemma
On the political feasibility of climate change mitigation pathways
Beyond special circumstances
The politics of evidence and methodology
Systematic maps to support the evidence base in social care
Financing transition in an adverse context
Learning about climate change solutions in the IPCC and beyond
Mitigating Global Warming in Global Cities
Lessons from the past for sustainability transitions? A meta-analysis of socio-technical studies
Renewable energy policy as an enabler of fossil fuel subsidy reform? Applying a socio-technical perspective to the cases of South Africa and Tunisia
Carbon co-benefits of tighter SO2 and NOx regulations in China
Strategic planning of urban infrastructure for environmental sustainability
Climate change
The benefits of systematic mapping to evidence-based environmental management
Carbon Taxes, Path Dependency, and Directed Technical Change
The urban material politics of decarbonization in Stockholm, London and San Francisco
Using thematic analysis in psychology
The role of lock-in mechanisms in transition processes
| Unique citing works | 25 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 5 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 25 |