Insights · June 2nd, 2026
Mark Z. Jacobson is the Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Director of the Atmosphere/Energy Program, Stanford University. He has been an invaluable resource in the discussion of how our world is solving the greatest challenges of the industrial foil fuel chokehold that has been dominant throughout the Industrial revolutions.
In a paper published in 2015, Jacobson laid out plans for all 50 states to switch to 100 percent renewable energy. This is the projected energy mix.
If we look at what has been proposed to address global warming, air pollution, and energy security during the past 25 years, only one solution – electrification of all energy sectors and generation of the electricity with wind, solar, geothermal, and hydro sources — has made an impact.
This solution has reduced enough world emissions and technology costs for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, to eliminate its worst-case climate scenario.
What are the proposed climate solutions that never worked?
(1) Fossil gas replacing coal, (2) ethanol replacing gasoline, (3) carbon capture, (4) direct removal of CO2 from the air by equipment, (5) blue hydrogen, 6) nuclear, and (7) geoengineering.
We knew these were poor solutions back in 2009, when they were first evaluated. But, it has taken 17 years to overcome lobbyists pushing these techs.
On the other hand, electrification of world transport, buildings, and industry and using clean renewables to provide the electricity while growing energy efficiency, also proposed in 2009, has worked, as evidenced by the world growth in electric vehicles, heat pumps, electric furnaces, and clean, renewable electricity generators. All-of-the-above policies, or let’s try everything and hope something works policies, have failed.
Given the short time we have, we should never see another IPCC scenario that includes biofuels, carbon capture, direct air capture, nuclear, geoengineering or their derivatives, blue hydrogen, electo-fuels, or sustainable aviation fuels. We know what works. Let’s focus on that going forward.
References Elimination of most extreme IPCC scenario – read here.
Components of a WindWaterSolar system – read here.
2009 paper evaluating energy technologies – read here.
2009 paper proposing to transition the world to 100% wind, water and solar power – read here.
Still No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air by Mark Z. Jacobson, with a foreword by Bill McKibben – read here.
Read more – Meet the scientist who wants to save the world with just renewables.
About Nikolas Badminton
Nikolas Badminton is the Chief Futurist & Hope Engineer at futurist.com. He’s a world-renowned futurist keynote speaker, consultant, author, media producer, and executive advisor that has spoken to, and worked with, over 500 of the world’s most impactful organizations and governments.
Nikolas is an artificial intelligence expert and his 2026 keynote ‘The AI Leader: Create Incredible Productivity, Profit & Growth’ is the level up for the modern CEO and executive leader.
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