Towards Responsible Circular Fossil Carbon Industries: Upstream Proposals to Reduce Demand and Control Supply
Authors: Laurent Nicolas and Patrick Portolano
Publication: May 2021; revised September 1, 2021
Document: Working paper, 25 pages
This working paper proposes a supply-side approach to climate policy based on two complementary principles: measuring the quantities of carbon originating from geological fossil stocks and making fossil-carbon producers responsible for the ultimate fate of the carbon they extract.
The authors examine the limitations of conventional emissions-accounting mechanisms, compare geological and short-term carbon cycles, and propose a fossil-carbon indicator to support more effective international climate policies.
The paper represents an early contribution to the development of the Geological Net Zero approach.
Full paper: Download the original PDF (25 pages).