The Behavioral Renaissance

This chapter looks at what will be required to rebalance the radiative balance of climate at a societally acceptable level, around 1.5°C to at most 2°C warming according to the Paris Climate Agreement. The chapter outlines the complex portfolio of measures needed to achieve this: emissions reduction, new emissions avoidance, greenhouse gas removal, and potential solar radiation management. It also shows how the relative proportions of these four different classes of measures will need to be flexible through time, in response to different needs, such as a high need for emissions reduction today that may decline with time as emissions approach zero. Flexibility will also be needed in response to the emergence of new breakthroughs, challenges, cost limits, and economic and societal constraints. The chapter considers key parameters with respect to societal change and the roles of government, corporations, and consumers, and discusses routes for channeling discontent and litigation.