Review of the US 2050 Long Term Strategy to Reach Net Zero Carbon Emissions

In 2015, during the lead up to the Paris Climate Agreement, the United States set forth a Nationally Determined Contribution that outlines national goals for greenhouse gas emission reductions. It was not until 2021 that the US put forth a long-term strategy that lays out the pathway to reach these goals. The US long-term strategy lays the framework for research needs to meet the greenhouse gas emission reduction goals and incentivizes industry to meet the goals using a variety of policies. The five US long term strategy core elements are to decarbonize electricity, electrify end uses and switch to clean fuels, cut energy waste, reduce methane and other non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gas emissions and to scale up carbon dioxide removal. Implementation of the long term strategy has generally been funded by tax incentives and government grants that were approved as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Political headwinds, societal Not in My Backyard resistance, long-term economic funding, cumbersome permitting requirements and incentives vs. taxation debate are significant policy/nontechnical hurdles. Technical challenges remain regarding effective energy efficiency implementation, the use of hydrogen as a fuel, cost effective carbon emission treatment, nuclear energy expansion, renewables expansion and grid integration, biofuel integration, efficient and safe energy storage and electrical grid adequacy/expansion. This review article condenses the multitude of technical and policy issues facing the US long-term strategy, providing readers with an overview of the extent and magnitude of the challenges while outlining possible solutions.