Technology or behaviour? Balanced disruption in the race to net zero emissions

Delivering net zero emissions requires changing patterns of energy generation, consumption and land use. Mitigation efforts so far have mostly focused on reducing the intensity energy. Future decarbonisation must look outside sector to disrupt markets, infrastructure, systems behaviour. This study quantifies disruption technological markets individual behaviours embodied in possible pathways for United Kingdom. We review 12 strategies proposed by a range sources, including public industry bodies, academic organisations advocacy groups. The broad scope perspectives yields large set mitigation options. A novel metric captures embedded across dual axes behavioural change. find distinct bias towards through pursuit fast deployment speculative technologies. Behavioural remains undervalued. predominance supply-side global climate discourse means that bias, illustrated here UK, is seen world. Historical evidence shows diffusion takes decades, especially while behaviour change can be swifter. reduces likelihood achieving time limit warming 2 °C. To win race against change, governments should rebalance policy spending options mitigation.