NEARLY five years ago in Wulong, Chongqing, China, Maurizio Zavatta achieved a world record for the highest blindfolded tightrope walk at 698 feet and 1.9 inches. Many economies relying on fossil fuel—and companies supplying the power from them—have been doing that since 2015.

It was the year more than 70 countries committed to cut greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to net zero by 2050. For more than a decade, it’s been a tightrope walk between supplying power and keeping fidelity to that goal.