Beyond clean and affordable transition pathways: A review of issues and strategies to sustainable energy supply

Abstract

Expansion of the energy demand accompanies the fossils' substitution for renewables, requiring sustainable pathways working through varying levels of economic wealth and resource availability. Fossil reserves, renewable resources, transition metals, water, and carbon storage sites are concentrated in a few countries, some relying on monetizing these resources to leverage economic growth. Accelerating the transition from fossils renders energy cleaner while introducing co-benefits and impacts, price pressure, and energy safety issues. The transition affects energy-intensive sectors propagating the clean energy strategies through varying impacts, posing issues that may hinder some sustainable development goals (SDG). A broader focus is needed, with a clear vision of the many issues and goals. The work targer this gap is targeted with a critical literature review to identify the transition issues industries prioritize. Among energy issues, renewable energy and carbon capture and mitigation are the most cited aspects. As evidenced by the number of citations of the reviewed works, transition waves progress among industries: Oil and Gas, and Cross Sectors and Cross Nations segments show fast responses to the transition occurring in the Energy industry, while Mining, Heavy Truck, and Aviation industries show delayed decarbonization. The varying response lags are attributed to the uneven complexity of achieving decarbonization among sectors, which depend on capital-intensive long-turnaround assets and protective measures.