Around the world, governments, businesses and citizens face a twin challenge: how to reverse global warming and, simultaneously, deliver economic prosperity for a rapidly expanding global population.

Addressing this twin challenge requires a radical shift in the way we use carbon to create economic value. We must transition from an economy powered by fossil fuels to one powered by clean energy and carbon drawn down from the atmosphere — and do so quickly.

This new Volans white paper is about how we can do this. It explores the mindset shifts required around carbon, arguing that we must learn to see it not only as a source of existential risk, but also as a source of immense opportunity. It reviews the status of relevant R&D, as well as corporate action across three key value nexuses: cities, materials and food.

Our conclusions: many elements of a new carbon economy are already in place; pathways to scale are emergent; the opportunities for those who move fast — and in the right direction — are huge; and, crucially, the moment for courageous leadership is now.

Stay up to date as we bring the conversation to the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit, using #NewCarbonEconomy and #GCAS2018.