Hugh Helferty spoke to Air Quality News for the September issue’s “Big Interview.” He discusses the course of his career in the oil industry and how his experience led him to found PACE and support the idea of a Carbon Takeback Obligation in order to reach net zero by 2050.

From the article:

According to Helferty, a fundamental cornerstone of Carbon Takeback Obligation is acknowledging the fact that carbon zero is currently impossible, not least within the proposed timeframe. Simply put, even with renewables powering homes and roads filled with electric cars, vast swathes of the economy will still rely on oil. Meanwhile, less-developed countries are tied to reduce emissions at a slower pace.

Overall, this means every region on the planet will inevitably still produce carbon emissions of some type in another three decades, from aviation to chemicals, but the wealthiest nations have an opportunity to push forward now with comprehensive sequestration roadmaps that can be the difference between hitting climate targets and missing vital opportunities to mitigate a major cause of climate change. 

Read the full article here.