Now comes the real challenge: powering a world without fossil fuels.
The Paris climate accord, in its ambition to cut planet-warming carbon emissions, calls for a tectonic shift in energy—in essence, a new global economy to be fueled by zero-carbon sources such as solar and wind.
“In the coming decades the world will have to say goodbye to coal, oil, and gas,” said German Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks. The historic pact seeks to peak emissions in a few decades and then eliminate them.
This shift could happen—not because of the accord itself but because of technological advances and an expanding cadre of influential supporters. Whether it happens quickly enough to avoid the worst impacts of climate change is less clear.