Approximately 95% of all wealth through time has been created in the last 100 years. Similarly, 95% of all accumulated knowledge has been created in the last 45 years.

Underpinning these dynamics are a global energy system, a global production system, a global agricultural system, a global transportation system and a global waste system. The five systems as designed produced GHG gas levels over the last 100 years equal to what the earth’s normal processes produced in 385 million years.

If the world had understood 100 years ago what is understood today about GHG and in particular, high GWP GHG production, the design of the energy delivery systems, the production systems, the food systems, and the waste control systems would have been very different. As Elon Musk terms it, “first principles” would have been different. While humans are humans, the Global 600 companies are not, and are increasingly understanding that focus on lower carbon footprints in their global operations forces better resource allocations while achieving the associated better environmental stewardship.

GDT assesses that controlling global warming effects is fundamentally about being more efficient. GDT believes the five systems have clearly started to be redesigned. Unlike the most common goals/estimates of CY2060 (34 years) to redesign for GHG gas mitigation, GDT believes the redesign journey will take closer to 120 years in three phases of 40 years. The energy system depreciation/replacement in normal circumstances is a 60-year cycle. To address the challenge of global warming potentials, many ‘bridge’ investments in interim second-generation technologies will be needed, and to then be replaced with more advanced third-generation technologies.

Redesigning and implementing the new designs of the planet’s key five systems will take more than replacement alone. It will take scale replacement in faster time cycles as the population of the planet and the GHG footprint of the global middle class keeps growing faster than GHG reduction and sequestering investments.