How is the US going to reach net zero by 2050? That’s the question Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, director of the Office of Science for the US Department of Energy, is urgently trying to answer. She shares the thinking behind what her team is calling “Energy Earthshots” — projects designed to accelerate innovation in the fight against climate change, from nature-based solutions in the soil to the creation of brand-new technologies — and calls for innovative, equitable policies backed by science.