We are living in the midst of a great technological revolution in history— the energy transition from today’s fossil fuel- dominated civilization to low-carbon economies and industries. Geoscientists will significantly contribute to energy science, policy and technologies by advancing our knowledge base of the complex interacting processes and substances in Earth’s lithosphere, oceans and atmosphere. Mapping the flow of energy in various forms and intensities in Earth systems, exploration of energy resources and minerals and evaluating the environmental impacts of energy technologies from upstream to downstream will be increasingly embedded in geoscience education, research and workforce development. This article outlines major pathways of how geoscience will contribute to various components of the energy transition.
Energy transition to a low- carbon world with secure energy supplies is one of the most urgent and challenging issues of our time. Two trends are converging and propelling this energy transition.
First, increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) particularly over the past century has been associated with global warming with grave environmental threats. Second, political conflicts and supply chain disruptions are motivating many industrial countries to diversify their energy supplies and reduce their energy dependency on volatile sources. Although the pace and priorities of the energy transition differ from one region to another, the global shift to low- carbon societies requires enormous know- how, research and development (R&D) and skillsets from various disciplines of science and engineering. Geoscience, as briefly described below, will play a pivotal role in this technological revolution.