Carbon neutrality pathways exploration-A state-of-the-art study: Key technological advancements, current challenges, and potential opportunities

With the advent of the information age, urbanization has increased the social demand for resources, resulting in an increase in worldwide carbon emissions. In order to reach the zero-carbon objective and develop a society with a shared destiny for humanity, this study examines in depth the path of carbon neutralization in the urban modernization process. The performance characteristics, research status, and application value of low-carbon technologies in various stages from the perspective of diverse interdisciplinary disciplines, including low-carbon transformation of energy structure, energy-conservation and emission-reduction, and benign carbon cycle are examined in detail. The key obstacles to carbon neutralization are then examined from the perspectives of technical limits, environmental pollution, and ecological hazards by combining the qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis. Finally, future options for the establishment of a zero-carbon society are presented from the perspectives of public support, technological innovation, and mass engagement, successfully broadening the scope of carbon reduction. This study seeks to advance social sustainability on two fronts: 1) Energy low-carbon transformation must be performed concurrently with carbon reduction measures; 2) Ecological decarbonization is a prerequisite for the society's natural transition to carbon neutrality.