Why did I write The Decarbonization Delusion ?
Biology uses carbon as the central element of its energy and material “economies”…
This website and the book are partly a celebration of the wonder of nature through a biochemist’s lens. But they contain many highly detailed and thorough analyses of human energy economies. Ultimately they demonstrate what an impressively flexible element carbon is, from energy carriers to materials. If we want any element that is capable of integrating energy and material economies with minimal waste and toxic collateral, carbon is the one…
Who am I?
I’m basically a biochemist, and I like understanding how things work. I have a first degree from the University of Cambridge, UK, and a PhD jointly from the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology and the University of Cambridge. For 9 years I was a programme manager at the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), and then worked for 13 years as an Editor-in-Chief with the publisher Wiley-VCH. I have lived in Germany since 1999, and in 2021 I became entirely self-employed as an independent scientist, advisor and communicator. Favourite pastimes of mine are mending things instead of buying new, and finding ways of living more sustainably. I love sailing and music (I play piano and violin).
What is “decarbonization”?
If understood literally, it means getting rid of carbon in our economies of energy and material. Could that be leading us further down the path of environmental degradation in search of alternatives to carbon? I believe so, particularly in certain well-known economic sectors. We MUST break from fossil fuels as quickly as possible… Is there an alternative that would allow us to continue to use carbon compounds? I conclude, yes.
Why do we think that in distancing ourselves yet further from biology, by breaking with carbon, we will exist more sustainably on this planet? For me “decarbonization” means reaching net-zero emissions as soon as reasonably possible. And that goes for methane too, not just CO2. Biology has — admittedly with ups and downs — maintained balances that enabled life to flourish for 3.5 billion years. If we can’t learn from that, then we’re squandering an enormous opportunity in my opinion…
My training as a scientist enabled me to look into the intricacies of energy and material economies, drawing important parallels with biological systems. From this perspective I wrote “The Decarbonization Delusion – What 3.5 Billion Years of Biological Sustainability Can Teach Us“. Click here to see the table of contents and foreword.
These webpages are not a balanced survey of the pros and cons of various technologies or related literature. For all sides of the “arguments” in these areas, readers should go to any number of reviews. there are numerous academic publications presenting the variety of analyses and stances. These webpages are borne out of a reasoned conviction: that humanity is seeing and implementing the energy and mobility revolution in a dangerously one-sided way. Furthermore we are not learning important lessons from the living Earth. For that reason, I wish largely to present other “sides” for consideration, rather than cover all sides. The content of this website is intentionally thought-provoking (and possibly also provocative) but in an analytical and scientific way.
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andrewmoorescientist.com Analyses and comparisons in energy and material economies Email