Capturing the Benefits of Industrial Decarbonization for Houston and Beyond

The energy transition is well underway and represents an enormous opportunity for economic growth and emissions reductions worldwide. This report identifies the double benefits the Houston region could experience through a concerted effort to decarbonize existing industrial activity and presents an outline for other jurisdictions to follow.

This paper identifies four primary pathways for achieving emissions reduction in the Houston region — electrification, energy efficiency measures, hydrogen utilization, and carbon capture and storage (CCS) — between 2025 and 2050. Three scenarios — a business-as-usual case, a selective investment scenario reflecting economic limitations on the cost of carbon abatement measures, and a net-zero scenario — compare the potential impacts of emissions reductions and job creation potential with a focus on 2030 and 2050 forecasts.

In the best-case scenario, Houston and the surrounding regions could see more than 21,000 jobs created annually up to 2050 while achieving net zero carbon emissions from industry.

Acknowledgments: This work is generously supported by the Mission Possible Partnership (MPP), an alliance that supports public and private sector partners working on the industry transition towards net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and RMI, an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions, with a grant provided by the Bezos Earth Fund