THE CONCEPT OF LOW-CARBON ECONOMY: PERIODIZATION OF FORMATION IN SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

The concept of low-carbon development is designed to solve the problem of climate change by transforming society to the principles of net zero. Research and periodization of the formation of low-carbon ideas in science and society is an important component of the development and improvement of the theoretical foundations of the concept. Thus, the purpose of the article is to develop and substantiate the formation stages of the low-carbon concept. The scientific study developed a periodization of the formation of the concept of low-carbon development. The authors distinguish three consecutive stages of development: the inception (physico-chemical) stage, the conceptual (ecological) stage, the applied (economic) stage. The stage of inception lasted from the 19th century to the 1980s and is characterized by the discovery of the greenhouse effect and the recognition of the impact of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on the climate. The conceptual stage covers the period from the first international conference on climate change (1979) to the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol (1997). It includes the development of the theoretical foundations of the concept and drawing attention of international organizations to climate change issues. The applied stage began with the adoption of the Kyoto Protocol, making the transition to the practical implementation of the concept and search for mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The study describes each of the proposed stages and identifies the main events that stimulated the development and popularization of the concept of low-carbon growth in science and society. Based on the results of the research, it can be concluded that the authors propose to distinguish three successive stages in the development of the concept of low-carbon growth. These stages are distinguished on the basis of a set of key events and trends that are characteristic only for a particular period. The transition to each subsequent stage reflects significant transformations in the understanding and implementation of the main ideas of low-carbon growth. The final stage may be expanded with future innovations of mitigating the effects of climate change or replaced by the next stage of low-carbon development.