Charting the path toward a greener world: A review of facilitating and inhibiting factors for carbon neutrality
Shalini Talwar, Amandeep Dhir, Adeel Luqman, Jaya Gupta, Ritika Gugnani
Abstract
The threat of anthropogenic carbon emissions and the consequent climate risk at the global level has led to a noticeable surge in academic research in the area. However, the literature has primarily witnessed a mushrooming growth with limited attempts to systematize or synthesize the mass of evidence running in multiple directions. Such fragmented accumulation of insights can lead to confusion and potential neglect of crucial discussions. Our study addresses this deficit of consolidated insights in the area by focusing on carbon neutrality (CN), which embodies the global response for mitigating the serious consequences of harmful emissions. To this end, we used the popular approach of systematic literature review (SLR) to identify the congruent literature and evaluate it critically to delineate the facilitating and the inhibiting factors. Given the vastness of the extant literature, we limited our review to five sectors: manufacturing, energy, transport, agriculture, and construction (METAC) since these are known to be among the highest contributors to emissions. We used a rigorous search and filtration protocol to shortlist 153 relevant studies. Mapping of facilitators and inhibitors helped us uncover the under-explored aspects and suggest potential research questions for future investigations. At the same time, the identification of stimulating forces and impeding hurdles helped us highlight areas requiring policy attention and managerial action to support the achievement of CN targets.