Technology and new business models make it possible to do much more with much less, thereby reducing demand for resources. Governments and companies must seize the opportunity to shape future consumption trends towards more sustainable practices.

Is the electric business doomed? That may seem a foolish question when every analysis indicates that global electricity use will continue to increase rapidly in the coming decades. But that depends on what you mean by 'electric business'. Electricity was not originally a business. It might, once again, no longer be.

Supply-side reductions in emissions have dominated thinking to date. An area that has received less attention is that of demand-side, lifestyle, and behavior changes to reduce emissions.

Treating 'run-of-the-river' hydro, wind and solar electricity as consumable commodities is fundamentally inconsistent, and has important implications for policy and investment, argues Walt Patterson.  

As renewables become a large share of the global energy mix, greater electricity system flexibility will be critical and will originate from the small scale, write Daniel Quiggin and Antony Froggatt.

The dialogue explored tools to shift societal preferences and support more sustainable consumption behaviours. It analysed lessons from experiences of ‘nudging’ and other efforts in policy areas such as food, energy, buildings and infrastructure, and identified promising opportunities where interventions that target demand-side shifts could deliver more sustainable outcomes. Participants were from industry, government, international organizations, NGOs, academia, foundations and think tanks.

High quality recycling of industrial materials is a key strategy for delivering a low carbon circular future, argues John Gardner.

The demise of internal combustion vehicles is in sight with electric vehicles poised to replace them. But the cost and scarcity of critical metals could prove a major hurdle, writes Daniel Quiggin.

Land Economy for Sustainability Dialogue Series This first dialogue took place in early 2017. It explored key elements for a scalable strategy for reducing land-based emissions, drawing on lessons learnt from the past decade on the strategic transformation of the energy sector. It also discussed some of the critical ‘no regret’ interventions that could be scaled up immediately, and identified levers needed to create the preconditions for disruptive change beyond 2030.

Hailed as a major disruptor to today’s livestock industry, companies producing innovative meat analogues are blurring the line between disruption and business-as-usual, writes Laura Wellesley.

Technology and new business models make it possible to do much more with much less. But Bernice Lee asks, will governments and companies seize the opportunity?