Climate discussions often oscillate between fatalism and overwhelming complexity. This chapter takes a different tack: the physics of stabilizing the climate system are, in principle, straightforward. The difficulty lies in coordination, incentives, and time horizons.

The phrase “dead simple” is intentionally provocative. It does not minimize the scale of the challenge. Rather, it highlights the gap between what is technically understood and what is institutionally implemented.

Energy transition pathways, land-use strategies, and efficiency improvements already exist in various stages of maturity. The question is why deployment lags behind capability.

By reframing the climate challenge as partly a systems-design problem, the chapter invites a more pragmatic — and potentially more actionable — conversation about what comes next.