What are sources of carbon lock-in in energy-intensive industry? A case study into Dutch chemicals production

Keeping global mean temperature rise well below 2 °C requires deep emission reductions in all industrial sectors, but several barriers inhibit such transitions. A special type of barrier is carbon lock-in, defined as a process whereby various forms of increasing returns to adoption inhibit innovation and the competitiveness of low-carbon alternatives, resulting in further path dependency. Here, we explore potential carbon lock-in in the Dutch chemical industry via semi-structured interviews with eleven key actors. We find that carbon lock-in may be the result of (i) technological incompatibili... Mehr ...