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 world is undergoing a dramatic electricity transition, and the global struggle for power over this transformed electric system is set to profoundly shape our future, argues Walt Patterson.

The food system is locked in a vicious circle of increasing production, environmental degradation and rising public health costs. Yields have plateaued but demand is rising while diet is becoming progressively more unhealthy and unsustainable. Rob Bailey and Bernice Lee call on the need for a clear alternative vision to break this vicious circle.

Sustainable and healthy diets could bring widespread environmental and public health benefits. Laura Wellesley outlines the strategies and interventions required to sustainably meet the nutritional needs of a growing global population.

Agriculture must be radically transformed for environmental, food and nutrition security to be reconciled. Richard King outlines some of the existing and emerging opportunities to shift production towards more sustainable and equitable outcomes. 

Natural infrastructure restoration and management can be a physically effective and cost-efficient way to enhance food production and deliver climate and nutrition security. Ana Yang outlines three imperatives necessary for achieving this.

The workshop explored the role of negative emissions, particularly bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), in achieving the UNFCCC Paris Agreement goals. Significant deployment of BECCS is common to most Paris-compliant emissions reduction pathways, but raises important questions for policymakers.

At this workshop leading experts discussed what action across government, business and civil society can steer us towards healthy and sustainable diets. Spanning technologies, policies and actors, an action agenda that can unlock ambition, increase resources and continue innovation to take steps towards a healthy and sustainable diet was identified.

The workshop explored knowledge gaps and priorities to accelerate investment and action on soil organic carbon storage and sequestration. Decision-makers from multiple sectors, with global representation, identified constraints and solutions for scaling up investment in soil organic carbon in the context of climate-change mitigation.