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21st of September, 2014

all over the world,
millions marched together

to demonstrate against climate change.

In the middle of the historical
march in New York that day,

was a politically active economist

with access to those in
power, Jeffrey Sachs.

- This is everything we're trying to do

to make a decent world

and we have every means
to solve the problems,

we just haven't decided yet

that we're really going
to solve the problems.

- [Voiceover] Jeffrey Sachs and his team

have set themselves a mission

to convince the decision
makers of the world

that disaster can be avoided

without having to go
back to the Stone Age.

- The movement is really up and running.

Now every country is thinking
about climate policy.

- [Voiceover] It's a huge challenge.

For the first time in history,

scientists from around the world

are trying to influence
climate negotiations

scheduled for late 2015 in Paris.

But have they got what it takes?

- It may be worth breaking the codes

and breaking down the standards.

If we really are at war with ourselves

and the future of our children
is hanging in the balance

maybe we shouldn't hold back.

- We're gonna hold all
politicians accountable.

It's not just today, it's everyday

between now and Paris, December 2015.

Today we start winning.

Thank you very much
for all being together.

- [Voiceover] In the
news tonight, the IPCC,

the International Panel of
experts on Climate Change,

have issued a warning.

- [Voiceover] Waves from
powerful typhoon Neoguri

have hit Japan.

Melting ice may have reached
record levels this year.

It is the worst drought since

the People's Republic was founded.

The average temperature this
year has hit a record high,

yet there have been no heat waves.

Towns are submerged underwater

with hundreds estimated to be dead.

With the oceans slowly eating
away at the coast line,

it could very well be the
first thing to disappear.

- [Voiceover] The Copenhagen
Summit on global warming

came to a close, failing
to reach a consensus.

- [Voiceover] The 2015
Paris Summit must lead

to the adoption of an ambitious agreement.

- [Voiceover] In the last 60 years

endangering 12 million people.

- [President Obama] We
cannot condemn our children,

and their children,

to a future that is beyond
their capacity to repair.

(piano)

- [Voiceover] Since the
Earth Summit in Rio,

more than 20 years ago,

there have been several UN
Summits on climate change,

but never any real successes.

Nevertheless, their goal
is vital for our planet,

to sign an agreement in which each country

commits to the fight
against global warming.

To avoid catastrophe, the average
global surface temperature

must be limited to a rise
of two degrees Celsius

above pre-industrial levels.

In order for this to happen

CO2 emissions must be cut by half.

Yet it remains to be seen
just who will do that.

That is the key challenge of
the international Summits.

Jeffrey Sachs takes the
2 degrees Celsius target

very seriously

and has launched an ambitious project

that has never previously been attempted,

the deep decarbonization of
the world's energy systems.

According to Time Magazine,

Jeffrey Sachs is one of
the most influential people

on the planet.

In the past, he has helped restore

struggling economies in several countries.

These days, Jeffrey Sachs
is a special adviser

to the UN Secretary General

and works on reconciling economic growth

and climate protection.

A believer in strong remedies
and ever the visionary

he has come up with a brand new method

to solve the climate change crisis.

He has hand picked a group
of leading scientific experts

from 15 of the biggest
CO2 emitting countries

and set them a challenge.

Each one of them has to write a report

on how their country could
reduce it's CO2 emissions by 2050

without compromising economic development.

The ambitious project is called

Deep Decarbonization
Pathways Project or DDPP.

- We've undertaken the Deep
Decarbonization Pathways Project

as a way to show how it
would be practically possible

to deeply decarbonize
the world energy system,

by that I mean, we have to
shift out of coal, oil, and gas

in order to keep the planet safe.

It's really changing the DNA

of the energy system of the world,

which is not something

that you'd wanna do, ya know, too often

because it's not an easy task.

But those who say give up on it

actually don't know what
they're talking about.

- [Voiceover] The final
report is to be submitted

to policy makers around the world.

Decarbonization is the key word here.

It entails massively reducing
carbon dioxide emissions.

The notorious green house gas CO2

is heating up the planet.

We produce it in abundance,

and understandably so.

It comes from burning oil, gas, and coal.

The problem is, it's
pouring out everywhere.

From car exhausts,

from the manufacturing of industrial

and technological products,

and from food production.

Fruit and vegetables travel
thousands of kilometers by plane

to arrive on supermarket
shelves around the world

no matter the season.

Meat production also emits
huge quantities of CO2.

So how do we go about
decarbonizing our world

which relies so heavy
on burning fossil fuels

without going back to candlelight?

- Those fossil fuels
have created our wealth,

built our civilization,

enriched the lives of billions of people,

but now the rising costs

to our health, security,
economy, environment,

are eroding if not actually
outweighing their benefits.

So, we need a new fire that makes us

safe, secure, healthy, and durable.

- [Voiceover] In order to
choose his team of experts,

Jeffrey Sachs contacted a heavyweight

in global policy and
climate analysis, the IDDRI,

the Institute for Sustainable Development

and International Relations.

They formed research teams
from 15 of the biggest

CO2 emitting countries in the world,

Germany, France, Japan,
China, the United States,

Indonesia, South Africa,
India, Australia, Brazil,

South Korea, Canada, Mexico,
Russia, and the United Kindom.

Together these countries
represent three-quarters

of global CO2 emissions.

They are working on new economic models

without CO2 that are compatible
with economic growth.

China will not have the same

decarbonization trajectory
as the United States.

France's will differ from Germany's.

They only have a few months to do it.

- Our job is to convey the message,

"What would it take to achieve

"a two degree C frame work?"

That's our job.

We're not negotiating.

Let the governments negotiate.

We're problem solving.

So we should be quite bold,

but list the assumptions,

because I think the power of this project

will be, if we're able to show together,

here is a two degree C path.

It should really direct to the question

"What do you have to
do to make this real?"

because that's the last chance

to make it real.

- We try to amorize our

certainty in the language about that.

- Ya know, I think it's necessary

if you've got the right kind of models

set up to do this properly.

- Hard to accelerate the
speed of the transformation

and that will lead us
to the degrade economy.

- If we miss this two
degree Celsius window,

which is already a tragedy
for a lot of people,

It will be a tragedy for everyone.

Everyday I'm surprised by
how much time we're wasting,

how much hesitating there is.

It always makes me so cross.

Not only are we the first generation

to acknowledge this problem,

we're also the last one
that can take action.

- [Voiceover] To be able
to move forward together,

the 15 research teams must use

a common working method, agreed on by all.

That in it itself is a challenge.

What is the plan?

Each country records it's CO2 emissions

by sector of activity,
industry, transport,

construction, agriculture,
and power generation.

To decarbonize each sector of activity

there are three triggers.

First, make all machines
more energy efficient

using technological advances,

so that they consume less energy.

Second, replace fossil fuels
with renewable energy sources.

Third, produce low carbon electricity

and make everything electric that can be.

Each DDPP member country

must detail how it will operate

the triggers of each sector of activity

to reduce emissions to
1.7 tons per person,

the necessary limit to stay below

a two degree Celsius rise.

That is what a decarbonization pathway is.

North America is one of
the hardest to decarbonize.

The rate of emissions per person

is one the highest in the world.

Jim Williams, an expert
in energy efficiency,

and a DDPP coordinator,

has drafted in one of the
world's leading specialists

from Berkeley's Earth Sciences
division, Margaret Torn.

- The deep decarbonization
project was trying to see

is there a way for the United States

to reduce it's green house gas emissions.

Taking us from a country where we emit

17 tons of CO2 per person,

which is kind of a lot,

all the way down to 1.7 tons

and what these lines
are showing you is that,

this is our target, but also
I'll just say we did it.

The UN DDPP analysis
shows that we can do it.

These deep decarbonization scenarios

do not limit the economy.

They support economic growth.

- And they do not limit our lifestyle.

- Yeah.

- Now if people prefer
to get out of their cars,

become vegetarians,
wear sweaters, (laughs)

and so forth, that can be a fine thing.

It'll make it all easier to accomplish

and less expensive
- Right.

but that is not an assumption
- Definitely.

that we built into our analysis.

We assume that Americans
still act like Americans

30 or 40 years into the future.

- [Voiceover] This is a huge challenge.

The United States must reduce
CO2 emissions by 90 percent.

The hardest sector of
activity isn't transport

as one might think, but industry.

(somber piano)

US industry remains the
strongest in the world.

Steel, chemicals, textiles,
technology, automobiles.

The industrial sector isn't quite ready

to overhaul it's complex
production methods

for the sake of the climate.

Yet, a surprising revolution
is already underway

somewhere in Michigan,

where coal is being
replaced by waste products.

General Motors giant 30
kilometer long factory in Detroit

employs more than 1,600
workers around the clock.

Against all expectations,
the auto industry giants

signed the climate declaration,

and industry initiative to
drastically reduce CO2 emissions.

Can Detroit, home of the US
auto industry, set the example?

Jim Williams of the DDPP is
using this kind of initiative

to trace a pathway for the United States.

Rob Threlkeld, responsible
for sustainable development

at General Motors, grew up in Detroit.

He refused to leave when the city

was hit by economic decline.

According to him, energy transition

is the way to save this city.

- The community, they
understand renewable energy

and sustainability, it
makes good business sense

which is why GM is signed on to series

under the climate declaration

'cause climate change is something

we recognize and it makes
good business for us.

A sense for us to invest
in renewable energy,

invest into our products,

which then reinvests into the communities.

The city of Detroit reinvents itself.

This is what the city is doing,

a lot of it is in the area of green.

- [Voiceover] The deserted neighborhoods

of what was once "Motor City"

bare witness to the extent of
the city's industrial decline.

Could Detroit, declared bankrupt in 2013,

rise again thanks to low
carbon energy resources?

This year, General Motors
received the Energy Star,

issued by the US government,

for it's commitment to energy transition.

But it is not a question
of cleaner vehicles.

The revolution is happening elsewhere.

Rob and his boss, David Tulauskas,

are leading the change.

- Reducing our carbon footprint,

reducing our water footprint,

reducing our energy footprint,

helps our bottom line.

And the third value that we measure

is in reduced risks.

We we no longer send waste to landfill,

landfills in general are
liabilities waiting to happen.

So, if we're not sending
waste to a landfill,

we're reducing our liability risks,

we're reducing our
future regulatory risks.

We view waste as really
a resource out of place

and these resources have value.

So, instead of sending them to a landfill,

we look for new buyers.

People who can use them as inputs.

So, we've changed our waste streams

into revenue streams

and on average we earn

about a billion dollars a
year in selling our waste.

- [Voiceover] Everyday,
thousands of tons of waste

arrive from around the city

and even from neighboring Canada.

For GM, the daily procession
of waste disposal trucks

to the Detroit Renewable
Energy Waste Processing Plant

has enabled them to do the unthinkable,

to close the coal fired power plant

that supplied their electricity.

Most of this household waste

is made up of combustible materials,

paper, cardboard, and packaging,

which provide energy through combustion.

The steam then generates
electricity for the city

but not only that,

it also provides energy for
the heating and cooling systems

at the car plant via a massive pipeline.

Burning waste also emits CO2 gases,

but 50 percent less than coal.

According to the DDPP,

carbon emissions from industry

need to be reduced by 80 percent by 2050.

But for now, in the United States

only 1,000 companies
in the industry sector

have publicly pledged
to cut their emissions,

like General Motors.

It isn't nearly enough
to transform this sector.

But is there real political
will to make things happen?

- There have been two
important recent changes

in the US's position.

The first is the Obama Administration's

undeniable will to change things.

They are doing all they can regarding

new standards for cars, coal
fired power planets, etc.

The second is that there are companies,

and more importantly,

more and more US states,

such as California,
Washington, and New Jersey,

that are deeply committed
to a green economy

which will create economical
growth for the future.

California is experiencing an incredible

technological revolution.

Whatever the political context

may be after Obama,

everyone working for the Summit in Paris

will be the best possible advocates

to ensure that the green
economy continues to develop.

(violin music)

- [Voiceover] Although
the Obama Administration

seems to have a good momentum going,

it is essential the
politicians follow step.

A few months ahead of
the Paris conference,

Jeffrey Sachs continues
his intensive lobbying.

His goal is to convince world leaders

of the urgent need to decarbonize.

(violin music)

In an hour he'll be
standing in front of the UN.

He is making last minute
changes to his speech

which will be the official
international launch of the DDPP.

- I'm going to have a chance to talk about

the Deep Decarbonization Project,

what it means, and why
we think it's important

for next years negotiations.

But I think that people
that are fighting the cause

will take encouragement from today.

(suspenseful violin music)

- I don't want to spend
too much time on this,

the science and the reason

to be afraid if you're not afraid,

I strongly advise you, be afraid.

Really.

What's the US plan for
deep decarbonization?

Does anybody know?

Has anybody read it?

You know why? It doesn't exist.

The US government, with all it's majesty,

has never written down a
pathway of deep decarbonization.

Why?

Because Washington swarms with lobbyists.

And so far, I didn't see Exxon Mobile

and Chevron here today, maybe they are,

but I didn't hear them say

that they're into deep
decarbonization yet.

They're into more drilling,

Arctic exploration, deep sea,

and we are not going to get the results

unless we actually try to get the results.

And you can, what we're going to do..

Time. We've run out of time.

That's precisely my point.

(applause)

(slow music)

- [Voiceover] In Paris, DDPP members

led by Jeffrey Sachs and the IDDRI

meet once every three months

to continue their scientific works.

Progress reports are given

and attention is drawn to
any obstacles encountered

in country policies.

- It's incumbent on us to do more

than just present our results.

We're actually, because
of the conventions,

in order to be heard,

we're going to have to challenge

the way people hear these things

and change the nature of the conversation

around climate policy.

- [Voiceover] Although the United States

have managed to establish
a creditable scenario,

other nations are finding it very hard.

The task is more difficult than expected,

particularly for China,

the world's largest emitter
of greenhouse gases.

It requires a huge amount
of effort on China's part

to develop a pathway for
deep decarbonization.

The country is suffocating.

Half of it's CO2 emissions

are a result of industrial
manufacturing for the West.

The blame lies with the coal fired plants

that are springing up every week

to provide more energy,

emitting not only CO2
but also toxic fumes.

Air pollution is enhanced by
ever increasing road traffic.

Current figures show
that each person in China

emits four and a half
tons of CO2 per year,

which is three times too much.

How can a country with the
world's highest growth rate

reduce it's emissions
to 1.7 tons per capita?

At Tsinghua University,
Fei Teng and his team

are building a deep
decarbonization pathway for China.

- If there is no policy intervention,

and if China follows
what has been observed

in other developed countries,

the per capita emission will
reach a quite high level

which is about 10 tons

to 20 tons of carbon dioxide

per person in year 2050.

That will be something that this world

cannot afford.

The most important approach is to firstly,

design a compacter city to reduce

the transportation demand
of people in the city

and also to use more electric cars.

Through a combination of all
of those various approach,

we can reduce and we
can limit our emission

from the transportation,

from carbonization in the future,

which is not only a challenge for China,

but also a challenge
for the emerging cities

in developing countries

which is going to be urbanizing-ward

in the next few decades.

- [Voiceover] Personal transportation

is one the luxuries of developed countries

that most interest China.

It is on this point that
Fei Teng and his team

are focusing their attention.

By 2050, the distance
traveled by each citizen

will be 10 times what it is today

and the number of cars is expected

to almost double.

So, how can emissions be reduced

when the transport sector is booming?

(soft music)

The decarbonization program
is based on the model

of Shenzhen, near Hong Kong.

It is one of the five pilot cities

designed by the Chinese government

to become an example of
the new decarbonized China.

Thousands of taxis,
subsidized by the state,

have already gone through
a major transformation.

Making all vehicles
electric is the only way

to decarbonize the
transport sector by 2050.

- In Copenhagen, China regarded the idea

of a low carbon pathway a threat.

They didn't want to discuss it.

And just a year later, not
only have they accepted it

as part of the agreement in Cancun,

but China is now saying
that aim of the agreement

is to show that everyone was moved towards

low carbon strategies.

The Chinese are advocating it

and are prepared for it

because the project is gaining momentum.

- [Voiceover] Around Shenzhen,
commuter towns have emerged

so that production lines at car plants

in the region can run 24 hours a day

at break neck speed for low wages.

The aim is to increase productivity

by manufacturing low
cost electric vehicles.

BYD, Build your dream.

It's all in the name.

The battery specialist,
which works in partnership

with the German company Daimler,

is banking on the Denza to become

the world leader in electric cars.

Li Ying Fei, VP of sales,

has just been updated on what's new

in order to give his marketing speech.

Say goodbye to the traditional
lithium-ion battery,

BYD is about innovation.

- This is our battery.

They all look alike on the outside

but ours is a lithium iron phosphate,

or LFP, battery.

It is chemically stable
with a high capacity

and high voltage.

One of the distinctive
features of our batteries

is capacity.

When fully charged, the car
can travel 300 kilometers.

According to our test on 100 vehicles

after charging the battery 4,000 times

it can still reach 80 percent capacity.

- 4,000 times, 300 kilometers,

that's 1.2 million kilometers.

So, the car will be sent to the scrap yard

long before the battery.

- There are two connections.

One is for a quick charge,

while the other is for a slow charge.

The charging device uses constant
current for a quick charge

and alternating current
for a slower charge.

A battery charger is included
in the purchase of each car.

It plugs into a 220 volt
AC power outlet at home

which is slower.

Exterior charging
facilities are much faster.

It's done in an hour.

- [Voiceover] Autonomy,
safety, and battery life

are all elements needed to win

the electric car market.

But that's not all,

Chinese consumers need to
be persuaded to invest.

Charging points like these
are appearing around the city

to recharge electric cars.

Battery life is increase 10 fold,

thus mitigating the delicate
problem of recycling.

According to the Chinese scenario,

making transport electric
will help control

the explosion of this sector's
CO2 emissions in 2050,

but on one condition,

the electricity used
must also be low carbon.

(Asian music)

Today, nearly three-quarters
of China's electricity

is generated by coal fired plants.

It's a real headache for the DDPP.

- Why people in China
building coal fired plants?

They do not want to emit CO2 emissions.

They do not want to have a
city with a lot of smoke.

They do it because it's cheaper.

They want electricity at home.

They want to watch television.

They want to use the refrigerator.

And it's the cheapest version.

It is what America did,

what the Europeans did,

and now it is what they want to do.

But, we know the consequences,

therefore, we need to
give them right incentives

to make a cleaner technologies,

preferred option,

also, in economic terms.

(piano music)

- [Voiceover] China has embarked
on researching technology

for so-called clean coal fired plants.

Shanghai is proud to have built

Waigaoqiao power station,

the cleanest of it's kind on the world.

Everyday, 15,000 tons of coal are used.

The coal heats up water from the boiler

and turns it into steam.

The steam then powers the turbine

that generates electricity.

Nothing new here,

except the energy efficiency
has been increased

compared to old power plants

which represents a huge gain

on the amount of coal consumed.

In the control room,

performance is measured in real time.

The plant burns 30 percent less coal

than traditional power plants.

The secret lies in the
use of new materials

that can support very high
temperatures and pressure.

Water can therefore be heated
to such a high temperature,

that it passes directly
to the gaseous stage

without passing through the boiling phase

increasing energy efficiency.

- When it was being built

we wanted to reach a net of
efficiency of 42 percent,

but today when the factory
is operating at full speed

net efficiency can reach 46.5 percent.

It went from 42 to 46.5 percent.

That's a huge figure.

If one ton of carbon emits 2.7 tons of CO2

that's a reduction 2.5 million
tons of CO2 in one year.

- [Voiceover] New power plants like these

will gradually replace the old ones

and will be emulated world wide.

- If the efficiency rate within
this bad coal fired plants

and the cleaner one

is only input by one percentage point

this is equal to all the
coal consumption in Germany.

So, therefore, we have to
improve the efficiency there,

we should not be completely dreaming

that tomorrow there will be no
new coal fired power plants.

At least we need be efficient
coal fired power plants

and then forbid building
inefficient coal fired power plants

but at the same time, give incentive

to the cleaner technologies

so that they are replacing
coal fired power plants.

- [Voiceover] The decarbonization program

experts are clear.

While China's energy demand is soaring,

they will have to switch
from coal at some point.

The sooner the better.

China has predicted that coal consumption

should peak in 2030 before declining.

Fei Teng regularly consults Professor He,

an influential member of the government,

with whom he discusses the
best low carbon pathways.

As always, directives come
from central government.

- By 2030, China's energy
needs will be equivalent

to nearly 6 billion tons of standard coal.

Fossil fuel production
capacity will exceed

10 billion kilowatt hours.

That's huge.

The government has announced
that around the year 2030,

CO2 emissions should peak.

- [Voiceover] This peak
means that emissions

will continue to increase
over the next 15 years

before they begin to decline.

Energy transition is long to implement.

The technologies are ready

but not the policies.

- Hydro power, solar,
wind, bio energy tech,

they're already ready,

but they have difficulties
to have bigger share

in the energy mix because
of, mainly because of,

the competitiveness, the price issued.

That in some cases,
they are more expensive

than, for example, coal.

So, therefore, there is a need

A. To give support to renewables,

and B. to take the
support from the polluting

technologies to give them
less support at least.

If we can have international
agreement in Paris,

hopefully, we can give incentive

to the renewable technologies,
which can replace coal.

- It will be a long time before

non-fossil fuel energy sources

can fully replace fossil
fuel energy sources.

The usage of coal
combustion will remain high

for the near future.

It will continue to release CO2.

I think the CCS is the most viable option

to combat climate change.

- [Voiceover] One possible
technology is CCS,

carbon capture and storage.

CO2 is captured before it is released

into the atmosphere.

Then it is separated from
the other fuel gases,

compressed, cooled down,

and stored underground

in porous geological rock formations.

13 test facilities are currently operating

including seven in the United States.

Their prohibitive cost renders

their long term viability uncertain.

And, most importantly,

will there be sufficient storage capacity?

North of Vancouver in
Squamish, British Columbia

a team of engineers have developed

a surprising prototype to capture CO2,

not from factory chimneys,

but directly from the air we breath.

- This is exciting.

This is the biggest air
contactor we've built yet

and what this is going to do

once we turn it on and connect
it to the rest of our system

is pull air through the device.

We spray those with
liquid capture chemical

that we have in our system here

and when the air passes through those

it sees this very high surface
area of capture chemical.

The CO2 reacts with
that and gets absorbed.

So, the airs come in through the inlet

and it comes under our feet here

and at the end it enters
this central chamber

underneath this fan

and the fan pushes it up at
several meters per second

and by the time it's come up here

the air has had 70 or even 80
percent of the CO2 removed.

(soft piano music)

- [Voiceover] The air passes
through a large filter

which extracts CO2 with a
potassium hydroxide solution.

Carbon dioxide is then
piped into a closed circuit

before storage.

The aim is to manufacture
hundreds of these devices

to capture to the
equivalent carbon emissions

of 300,000 cars per year.

For now, the earliest data has shown

that the device can capture half

of the CO2 content in the air.

- What we can do with direct
air capture technologies

is recapture those emissions.

We can inject them underground

or integrate them in fuel production

or we also capture those emissions

and we can even directly
synthesize liquid fuels.

And these are fuels that are compatible

with all of today's infrastructure

but are closed carbon cycle

and have no net emissions
to the atmosphere

so they don't contribute
to climate change.

- [Voiceover] Would
reinjecting CO2 into the ground

be the ideal solution?

- With the technologies
that we are looking at now,

we don't have enough perspective to know

whether or not we are creating a risk

for future generations.

Who can guarantee that the stored CO2

wouldn't suddenly escape
during an earthquake?

I would rather we invest money

into rehabilitating forests and ecosystems

that naturally stock CO2.

I think we're rushing in too fast.

- [Voiceover] Is it possible to abandon

the error of fossil fuels that
our societies were built on?

Oil, coal, and natural gas
still supply 80 percent

of world energy use.

We only have 50 years of oil,

60 years of gas, and
110 years of coal left.

One of the obstacles to
energy transition is money.

Public funding continues to support

these powerful lobbies.

- Why we see such a
strong fossil fuel share

is because of the subsidies
given to fossil fuels.

What does subsidy mean?

Subsidy means many governments

bring the price of
coal, oil, and gas down,

make it very, very cheap

and the people of course,
the consumers of course,

what is cheaper.

And this is made artificially cheap,

much cheaper than the markets.

- We need to put an end
to the 650 billion dollars

in subsidies and tax exemptions

that are allocated to fossil
fuel energy every year.

- [Voiceover] The private sector

has felt the winds of change.

The world of finance is gathered

at the flagship Bloomberg Summit.

Businessmen, portfolio managers,

and insurance companies,
representing huge funds,

are here to do business
in low carbon energy.

Politicians have realized the importance

of this conference

and are on a charm offensive.

- The transition to a
cleaner energy system,

it's not just an
opportunity to do business,

but it actually, if
business is not on board,

if business is not driving it,

then it's not going to happen.

- [Voiceover] Up until five years ago

only a tiny minority of
industrial manufacturers

were interested in renewable energy.

Nowadays, they're a serious lobby,

and on a mission to make money.

- I think that right now, no,

we will not see a deal in Paris

that adds up to two degrees,

but if I just ask a
slightly different question,

"Can we hit two degrees?"

then the answer is, "Absolutely, yes."

We have many of the technologies,

but we are also are developing,
reducing their costs,

or developing more technologies

with every passing month.

I have no doubt we can

almost completely decarbonize
our energy system.

These accelerating technology curves

are our friend

and they're all we have

so, they better work.

- [Voiceover] Nowadays, most banks

offer their customers the possibility

to make green investments.

And for the first time, the WTO,

and standard imports recommend

investing in clean energy.

(suspenseful violin music)

- There's a herd mentality
in the financial sector.

If one thinks that 10
to 15 percent of assets

are to be invested in clean energy

then that means this is
the business of tomorrow.

Therefore, the price of carbon,

even though there is not just one,

and the speculation of investors

creates a snowball effect.

Everyone says "That's it, it's happening.

"It's going to happen."

In economics jargon,

that is known as a self
fulfilling prophecy.

If everyone believes, then it will happen

because everyone will act
like it's going to happen.

- Governments need to have a market design

to show, give the signal,
to the private investors

that if they invest in the
clean energy technologies

they can make money

and if they invest in the old technologies

they may risk losing money.

This market design has to remain,

otherwise, we cannot leave everything

to the good intentions of the investors.

The easiest, most efficient way

to give the signal

will be through carbon price.

- [Voiceover] Putting a price on carbon

enables the creation of
what we call carbon markets.

Their functioning is simple

and based on the polluter pays principle.

So how does it actually work?

Governments set a legal limit, or cap,

on emissions.

If a company then exceeds their limit

they can trade permits
with another company

or risk a heavy fine.

On the other hand,

if a company reduces it's emissions

it can trade it's unused
permits and make a profit.

To date, 17 carbon
markets exist in the world

like this one, which
recently opened in Beijing.

Fei Teng is a regular visitor here.

He closely follows developments
in the carbon market

which could potentially play a big role

in the Chinese scenario.

- We need this carbon price for investors

because only through this carbon price

investors will redirect their investment

to a low carbon infrastructure.

And secondly, the carbon price
is important for consumer

to change their behaviors

to consume more low carbon (inaudible).

and through the combination

of behavior change, of
both investor and consumer,

and we need this carbon price

to change the carbon emission trajectory.

In terms of the carbon price,

I think we can see from
the screen right now,

that carbon price is about 50 RMB,

which is equivalent to seven or eight Euro

per ton of carbon dioxide.

- [Voiceover] The price of carbon

fixed by the government will increase

depending on the stringency
of each countries

environmental policies.

- But the current carbon
prices are so weak

that nobody pays it attention.

The best thing would be

in the entire world
there is a carbon price

which is gradually rising

and perhaps in 20-30 years of time

reaching about 50 dollars or so

in order to have an
impact on the decisions.

- [Voiceover] Paris, The final meeting

before the DDPP team present their report.

Everyone is present,

including Fei Teng, Jim
Williams, and Emmanuel Guerin.

But will they manage to
finish the report on time?

Tensions are running high.

Pathways to decarbonization
are beginning to emerge

but there's still some way to go.

- Work discussions around, essentially,

the country pathway analysis,

so, with the idea of us
sharing some insights,

all of you have developed

independent country analysis,

and this was the purpose of this work.

- [Voiceover] In Germany,

the decarbonization pathway

points to a full exit from nuclear power.

Piet Sellke, a sociologist
and member of the DDPP,

posits a guess that
Germany's energy transmission

won't be that simple.

- Germany has introduced
this energy transition,

which mainly consists of several points.

The most prominent one is like

the phasing out of nuclear energy by 2022.

So, nuclear and coal are
supposed to be replaced

by wind, also by solar,

which is also increasing here

and, to some degree,

also by biomass and other renewables.

The technology is very, very important,

but don't forget the organizational

and social aspects of their work.

If they are not tied into that other work

they energy transition will not be doable.

It's not possible to have
the technology changes

as law coming to the people

and the people are just opposing it.

As we saw here, nuclear energy ended,

although it was a working technology,

and it was for in many
eyes a good technology,

CO2 neutral, still it ended.

And the same can happen
with other technologies

if the people are not in
the boat for those changes.

- [Voiceover] A closer look
at Germany's total emissions

reveals that approximately half

come from the production of electricity

supplied mainly by coal.

Is the solution civic power?

The concept was introduced in Germany

30 years ago.

After the Chernobyl disaster,

Schonau, a small village
in Germany's Black Forest,

decided to take it's
fate into it's own hands

and produce it's own electricity

with nuclear or coal.

The national electricity companies

took a very dim view of the rebellion.

It took four years for a
handful of men and women,

led by Ursula Sladek
and her husband Michael,

to convince the residents

and the local authorities.

Sebastian Sladek was a young man

when he parents managed this feat.

The town has a population of 3,000

and currently supplies
160,000 homes with electricity

via the independent
electricity cooperative, EWS.

It's the story of David versus Goliath

and in this case

the town chased out the nuclear giant.

EWS had to overcome a lot or reluctance

from the residents.

Back in 1990, nobody wanted solar panels

on their roofs.

So, a very symbolic roof was chosen,

the roof of the local church.

- The system that you see here

is a community effort

and many of Schonau's residents
have taken part in it.

I think that it is important to residents

that they be able to invest,

depending on their means and environment,

and that they have an energy supplier

that supports them in the process,

which is what EWS does.

We have a solar cadaster

and can determine the
expected energy yield

for each roof.

We provide support for those who wish

to install solar panels.

As an energy supplier,

there's a lot we can do for residents

to help them move from
energy consumer to producer.

- [Voiceover] Dozens of homes
have since been equipped

with solar panels.

Five megawatts of solar energy

is currently being generated in Schonau.

- This heavenly energy is
the natural energy flow

that is ample for all our needs.

It is nonviolent,

it is not scarce, but abundant,

it's not transient, but permanent,

it's not local, but everywhere,

and once you buy the
equipment to capture it,

which is now very cost effective,

it's free.

- [Voiceover] To reduce carbon emissions

from the energy sector by 90 percent,

Germany must reduce coal power

and increase wind power.

It's not an easy task

and it isn't to everyone's liking.

In Paris, after 18 months of hard work,

the decarbonization scenarios

of the world's 15 biggest
emitters are ready.

It's time for Jeffrey Sachs
and his DDPP colleagues

to hand over their report.

They present their results
to Laurence Tubiana,

and adviser to the French
Minister of Affairs,

Laurent Fabius.

In a few weeks, the official report

will be released in each
of the 15 countries.

- By doing this exercise,

which is really going deep enough

for the two degrees,

they say, "Oh my God,

"you can't just tighten a
little bit here and there,

"this is transformation.

"This really requires going
to a new energy system."

Well, that's the true message.

- It would really be great

if what's in the report
for each and every country

became the basis for a very serious

political discussion on how to achieve

this deep transformation.

- If we could have a club of countries

saying "We will do that."

even if we have 5, 10, 15 countries,

just say that, very strongly,

that would be a very, very strong signal

and that even could be a network

of countries helping each other,

inviting others to join

and that even could be bigger than

if it was only in the text,

or only in the decision of the conference,

but already a process that has started.

Well, I thank you anyway.

- Well good luck.
- Great.

- Merci.

- [Voiceover] Not all of the 15 countries

have reached the target of 1.7 tons

of CO2 per capita.

The three technological triggers

will probably not suffice.

There should be one more,

our behavior, as citizens,
could be the fourth.

- History has shown that when constraints

seem unavoidable,

the most unlikely
solution becomes possible.

If I didn't think it were possible

I wouldn't put so much
energy into this cause.

- I'm not optimistic

and I'm not pessimistic

because these are different faces,

different sides of the same

simplistic surrender to fatalism

where we treat the
future as fate not choice

and don't take responsibility

for creating the future we want.

I live in a spirit of applied hope.

- In any case,

even if an ideal agreement
isn't reached in Paris,

the movement will continue to grow.

- [Voiceover] Whatever the outcome

of the United Nations Climate Conference,

we should already be looking ahead.

Decarbonization could
already be happening.

(upbeat music)

- And according to the internet

one Michael C. Muhammad,
whoever he is or was,

said or wrote,

"Everything's going to turn
out alright in the end,

"if it's not alright now,
it's not the end yet."

Don't let in bother you,
just relax and keep on going.

(upbeat music)