Climate scientists from around the world on May 4 included renewable energy and nuclear power among technologies best able to reduce human-induced greenhouse gas emissions, now widely linked to potentially disastrous global warming.
After days of negotiation in Bangkok, Thailand, the scientists agreed a report outlining measures that policymakers can make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The report, by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, is its third this year in a process involving some 2,500 scientists from over 130 countries. The final report of IPCC’s fourth assessment is due later this month in an unedited online version.
Global greenhouse gas emissions have grown since pre-industrial times, rising 70% between 1970 and 2004, according to IPCC. With current mitigation policies, emissions will go on rising by at least 25-90% by 2030, with the contribution of fossil fuelled power growing 45-110%. Energy production reportedly increased greenhouse gas emissions by 145% in 1970-2004.
The world’s projected energy infrastructure investments, estimated at over $20 trillion by 2030, will have long-term but slow-acting impacts, believes IPCC. "Returning global energy-related CO2 emissions to 2005 levels by 2030 would require a large shift in the pattern of investment, although the net additional investment required ranges from negligible to 5-10%," it adds.
Renewables, which accounted for 18% of global electricity supply in 2005, could grow to 30-35% by 2030 with carbon prices up to 50$ per tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent, estimates IPCC. On that basis, nuclear's contribution could rise from 16% to 18% over the same period. "But safety, weapons proliferation and waste remain as constraints," note the scientists.
“It is often more cost-effective to invest in end-use energy efficiency improvement than in increasing energy supply," adds IPCC. And that applies to buildings, which contributed a 26% rise in emissions, including electricity use, in 1970-2004.
The building sector could cut emissions by 30% by 2030, however, there are multiple barriers, especially in developing countries, says IPCC. Barriers include "availability of technology, financing, poverty, higher costs of reliable information, limitations inherent in building designs and an appropriate portfolio of policies and programs."
June 5, 2006
Nuclear energy? Renewable energy? One emits radioactivity and the other CO2 just like fossil fuels. And H2O2 cells are dangerous.
I might make an equivalent case for watering my lawn. Water, according to a number of 'environmental' scientists and the US Supreme Court is a more potent green house gas than carbon dioxide. And, what about 6 billion people, just breathing, Scott?
You can read my refutation on global warming in the environmental section of http://patriot.eponym.com which includes numerical calculations. Manmade CO2 accounts for less than 2% of the CO2 in the atmosphere. The question that I put to you is, can you control your automobile with a 2% throttle span, if not, why would you expect to affect global warming?
Rest assured, the public will gain a far more insiteful account of the supposed 'global warming' crisis than the propaganda on your site. This is nothing but a ruse to further questionable environmental construction projects at the taxpayer's expense.
Either prove me wrong, or get off the environmental bandwagon.
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