Read on Twitter
THREAD: In new @ForeignAffairs, @JesseJenkins et al propose #industrialpolicy and #innovation as keys to successful #ClimateAction. Their proposal is necessary for success but does not offer much insight into how to get there. Missing: politics. (1/N) https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2020-04-13/paths-net-zero
As @greenprofgreen notes, new technology itself does not solve anything. #Decarbonization also requires deployment. (2/N)
The @JesseJenkins et al proposal correctly notes that technological progress facilitates deployment by reducing costs, but… how do we get started on that technological progress? (3/N)
The problem boils down to the politics of innovation. We have known for decades that investment in #cleantechnology #innovation generates huge social returns, yet we have done little to overcome the problem. (4/N)
As our work with @MichaelAklin in #Renewables shows, the pressure to improve #Renewables came from deployment that created powerful interest groups. ( @vsiv has noted that these interest groups could actually impede innovation off the beaten path.) (5/N) https://www.amazon.com/Renewables-Politics-Global-Energy-Transition-ebook/dp/B07BLPXWJ6/
The problem is even worse in emerging markets, where virtually all future emissions growth potential is. In #China and #India, state-owned enterprises rule the energy sector. Their decisions are very complex and cost reductions alone will not move the needle. @jonasnahm (6/N)
In #India, for example, #renewables integration is critical to phasing out coal. But it is not a technical problem. There are enormous institutional obstacles to this, beginning with interstate conflicts in electricity trade. @KartikeyaSingh @vikasmehta248 (7/N)
If we want to achieve true global progress on #innovation and #industrialpolicy, we need a political strategy in favor of this action. To do so, we need a coalition of engineers, economists, and social scientists – including us ugly ducklings, the political scientists. (8/N)
For us @sais_isep, this effort is front and center. We simply have to get smart about the politics of clean technology innovation and industrial policy. The problem is enormously complex and requires collaboration - please join us in this! (N/N)
