Why Biogen going beyond carbon neutral to Fossil Fuel Free is a big deal
Today’s announcement by Biogen marks a step-wise change in corporate thinking about climate and the inseparable connection to human health with their Healthy Climate, Healthy Lives initiative. While we must applaud the recent string of corporate announcements pushing for carbon neutrality and net zero, we can also lament the lost opportunity they represent.
Simply put - carbon neutral is tied to carbon and net zero to greenhouse gases. Neither considers the equally immense societal cost of PM2.5, SOx, VOCs, and other harmful air pollutants that are generated from the combustion of fossil fuels (and biofuels). If there is any benefit that comes out of COVID-19, it is the renewed focus on air pollution and the burden it places on society. Completely ceasing the combustion of fossil fuels is the direction the world must be looking to address climate and health in a holistic manner.
Yes, throwing out the old playbook on how we power our buildings, vehicles, planes, ships, and the economy is scary. But we have 20 years as long as we start now rather than arriving at this conclusion 10 years from now. Biogen recognizes this and has set commitments to eliminate fossil fuel combustion from its operations by 2040.
Or maybe it is not as scary as on first glance.
Electric vehicles are already rapidly gaining market share with the total cost of ownership already below similar conventional vehicles. Biogen and 84 other forward-thinking companies have already committed to this future.
HVAC in most regions is already feasible with existing geothermal and heat pump technologies.
Induction stoves are already gaining steam in the restaurant industry as a replacement for gas-fired stoves.
Li-ion battery backup power in homes is already booming in today’s climate of rolling black-outs. As battery technology advances, we can expect to see the roll-out continue into office buildings.
Sure, we still need further development in areas of battery technology, heavy manufacturing, and green hydrogen, but with a concerted voice from the corporate world, those industries can respond to the demand opportunity.
Compare this to the technology that companies are relying on to achieve carbon neutral and net zero (don’t forget we are ignoring the air pollution issue with these solutions).
Direct air capture (DAC) remains at pilot scale and even by 2030 is only expected to drop to $150/MTCO2. Looking at Microsoft’s Carbon Negative plan, the carbon removal price tag in 2030 using this technology would be $1 billion. And as this Carbon Brief article outlines, large scale use of DAC is just not realistic.
Bio-energy with carbon capture and sequestration (BECCS) is another technology with limited pilot projects ongoing but does a little better with a projected minimum $60/MTCO2 price tag. This one would only cost Microsoft $420 million a year. Downside - BECCS’ utility-scale tree farming and burning operations to achieve the estimated maximum sequestration of 5 GtCO2 per year introduces significant air pollution and land availability issues.
Afforestation is the current hot topic to save us from climate destruction. While afforestation is a critical component of the solution, banking primarily on this approach is foolhardy and detrimental to the real change that is needed. At best afforestation can provide 3.5 GtCO2 of sequestration per year, which is less than 10% of global emissions. Then there are significant issues around permanence and land availability that could lower its effectiveness further.
Given all the issues with these technologies - let’s just cut to the chase. The only serious approach to mitigate climate change while at the same time improving health is to transition to a fossil fuel free future.
I am thrilled to have worked with Biogen on making this once far-out idea into a real commitment. I hope other companies around the world are inspired by Biogen and join us on this journey.