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Challenges and Solutions |
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New addition under Reports: China's Clean Revolution by the Climate Group. The world's leading producer of energy from renewable source, China is on the way to overtaking developed countries in creating clean technology. |
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Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technology, S. Pacala and R Socolow, Science Magazine, 13 August 2004, Vol 305 (Downloadable as PDF file). "Humanity already possesses the fundamental scientific, technical, and industrial know-how to solve the carbon and climate problem for the next half-century. A portfolio of technologies now exists to meet the world’s energy needs over the next 50years and limit atmospheric CO2 to a trajectory that avoids a doubling of the preindustrial concentration. Every element in this portfolio has passed beyond the laboratory bench and demonstration project; many are already implemented somewhere at full industrial scale. Although no element is a credible candidate for doing the entire job (or even half the job) by itself, the portfolio as a whole is large enough that not every element has to be used." The crucial limit: Nine billion tonnes of carbon dioxide a year, Andrew Ferguson, February 10, 2003 "A figure which looms large in discussions of the Earth's population carrying capacity is a carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions level of 9 billion tonnes (9 gigatonnes) a year. This number is a rough estimate of the maximum annual emission from the burning of fossil fuels which is compatible with stabilisation of the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Present concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the atmosphere is 31 per cent above the pre-industrial level, and we also know from the Vostock ice core that it is now higher than it has been any time in the last 420,000 years; furthermore, using information from sediments, we know it is likely to be higher than at any time during the last 20 million years. The 9 Gt/yr of carbon dioxide (or its equivalent, expressed as carbon: 9 / 3.664 = 2.5 Gt carbon) is important, because if every human being were to be allowed the modest emission of 4.5 tCO2/yr, then, by simple arithmetic, human population would need to be 2 billion. In order to gauge the modesty of that 4.5 tCO2/cap/yr, we may note that the average citizen of the USA emits about 20 t/yr, the average European 10 t/yr, the average Canadian and average Australian 16 t/yr. The idea that renewable energy can substantially replace fossil fuels - although widely canvassed and to be a central tenet of UK energy policy - has yet to be translated into reality; therefore the 9 GtCO2/year figure is an emissions limit which needs to be applied while fossil fuels last, and this deserves an in-depth study."
A Call for Action: Consensus Principles and Recommendations from the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (January 2007). US CAP is a business and NGO partnership. "The report lays out a blueprint for a mandatory economy-wide, market-driven approach to climate protection," and can be downloaded at the website. China's Clean Revolution by The Climate Group."This report is based on research conducted by The Climate Group’s team in China. Its findings show that far from ignoring climate change, Chinese Government and business leaders are now acutely aware of both the dangers and opportunities this environmental challenge brings. Even more importantly, it shows that significant actions to improve energy efficiency are already underway. China is now showing some of the strongest growth rates in the low carbon industries that reduce climate impacts of any country in the world and is creating jobs and generating profits in the process." The Future of Coal Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (March 14, 2007) "An interdisciplinary MIT faculty group examined the role of coal in a world where constraints on carbon dioxide emissions are adopted to mitigate global climate change. This follows "The Future of Nuclear Power" which focused on carbon dioxide emissions-free electricity generation from nuclear energy and was published in 2003. This report, the future of coal in a carbon-constrained world, evaluates the technologies and costs associated with the generation of electricity from coal along with those associated with the capture and sequestration of the carbon dioxide produced coal-based power generation. Growing electricity demand in the U.S. and in the world will require increases in all generation options (renewable, coal, and nuclear) in addition to increased efficiency and conservation in its use. Coal will continue to play a significant role in power generation and as such carbon dioxide management from it will become increasingly important. This study, addressed to government, industry and academic leaders, discusses the interrelated technical, economic, environmental and political challenges facing increased coal-based power generation while managing carbon dioxide emissions from this sector." The report is available for download at this site. McKinsey & Company Report: Reducing US Greenhouse Gas Emissions: How Much at What Cost? (2007) Available at this site: download of Executive Summary, Full Report, and report exhibits. Video presentation of chapters and slideshow available. "Consensus is growing among scientists, policy makers, and business leaders that concerted action will be needed to address rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States. The discussion is now turning to the practical challenges of where and how emissions reductions can best be achieved, at what costs, and over what periods of time. The central conclusion: The United States could reduce GHG emissions in 2030 by 3.0 to 4.5 gigatons of CO2e using tested approaches and high-potential emerging technologies. These reductions would involve pursuing a wide array of abatement options with marginal costs less than $50 per ton, with the average net cost to the economy being far lower if the nation can capture sizable gains from energy efficiency. Achieving these reductions at the lowest cost to the economy, however, will require strong, coordinated, economy-wide action that begins in the near future. Project methodology overview: Starting in early 2007, a research team from McKinsey worked with leading companies, industry experts, academics, and environmental NGOs to develop a detailed, consistent fact base estimating costs and potentials of different options to reduce or prevent GHG emissions within the U.S. through 2030. The team analyzed more than 250 options, encompassing efficiency gains, shifts to lower-carbon energy sources, and expanded carbon sinks." Powering the Plains: Energy Transition Roadmap "About the Powering the Plains Roadmap. Most people in North America don't give much thought to where their energy comes from. They just know that when it's dark, cold or hot, they want light, heat and cooling. The engineering marvel that is today s electric grid has delivered all those things, and more, so well that most of us now take them entirely for granted. Unfortunately, that same electric system also faces serious problems. Rising costs, aging infrastructure and global climate change are among the challenges that make an energy transition both necessary and urgent. Over the next half century we must dramatically change the way we produce, distribute and use energy. How we make this energy transition is as much a social and political decision as it is a technological and economic one. This roadmap summarizes years of stakeholder negotiation about how the Upper Midwest can best position its energy and agriculture sectors to thrive in the future. It is not about picking technology winners and losers or micro-managing the market. Its aim is to illuminate paths forward that look economically and environmentally promising no matter what the future holds. It represents a consensus among leaders from Iowa, Manitoba, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota on how best to meet this challenge." Roots of Change - Home Grown Energy Security: The Potential for Chemicals, Fuels and Power from Prairie Grass, published by Great Plains Institute, 2007. Summary of report: "Native grass agriculture can make significant contribution to at least four pressing national issues: the nation's dependence on oil in the transportation sector; worldwide growth in the demand and competition for that oil; the need for low or zero-carbon energy production that does not worsen global warming; and the need to diversify and reinvigorate rural economies. On this latter point, native grass production could mean an increased farm income through the sale of native grass hay, the creation of millions of acres of improved wildlife habitat and the recreation and tourism opportunities that brings, not to mention the potential for future carbon sequestration payments. In addition, native grass agriculture promises landscape-level benefits in water quality, soil health and biodiversity. It is sustainable development in the truest sense because it allows agricultural producers to improve their economic prospects while actually enhancing natural resources and amenities for society as a whole." Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change The site includes the pre-publication edition of the report, updates on the report along with frequently asked questions, and papers in progress on reflections and responses following the report. Downloadable as PDF files. Storing CO2 with Enhanced Oil Recovery, DOE/NETL, February 7, 2008. "One of the additional purposes of this new report is to address, and hopefully dispel, some of the misconceptions that have arisen around the topic of storing CO2 with enhanced oil recovery by showing that: (1) for the U.S. (and by extension for the world), the CO2 storage capacity offered by CO2-EOR is large, and when innovatively engineered, can be larger still; (2) essentially all the purchased CO2 is reinjected and thus stored in the original (or an adjacent) oil reservoir; and (3) the incremental oil produced is 70% “carbon free”, creating net emission reductions - - and thus additionality - - by displacing conventionally produced oil imports that are 0% “carbon free” or corn-based ethanol, that is only 10 to 15% “carbon free” (and a net contributor of CO2 emissions when coal is used as the process fuel)." Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers Download PDF, United Nations , UN- Energy (April 2007) "UN-Energy seeks to structure the approach to the current discussion on bioenergy. 'Sustainable Bioenergy: A Framework for Decision Makers' is the contribution of the UN system to the issues that need further attention, analysis and valuation, so that appropriate trade-offs can be made and both the energy needs of people met and the local and global environment adequately protected." The US Economic Impacts of Climate Change and the Costs of Inaction University of Maryland Center for Integrative Environmental Research (November 2007) Full Report, Executive Summary, and Regional Summaries available for download at this site. "The range of climatic changes anticipated in the United States – from rising sea levels to stronger and more frequent storms and extreme temperature events – will have real impacts on the natural environment as well as human-made infrastructures and their ability to contribute to economic activity and quality of life. These impacts will vary across regions and sectors of the economy, leaving future governments, the private sector and citizens to face the full spectrum of direct and indirect costs accrued from increasing environmental damage and disruption. 'The true economic impact of climate change is fraught with hidden costs...' The direct costs of not taking on the challenges posed by climate change are often neglected – and typically not calculated. The indirect effects are considered even less frequently, yet can be substantial. The effects will be felt by the entire nation:
This study presents an overview of climate impacts on various economic sectors in the US, organized by region." It includes "Five Key Lessons" "Conclusions: A national policy for immediate action to mitigation emissions coupled with efforts to adapt to unavoidable impacts will significantly reduce the overall costs of continued climate change. Because improved understanding of climate impacts, and the costs and benefits of these impacts, is in the national interest, the federal government should organize and finance a set of region-and sector-specific studies that help guide climate policy and investment, using appropriate methodologies."
Prairie Public Radio Hear It Now: Will Steger's first-hand observations of climate change and its impacts. Day of interview: November 2, Friday. Also included are solutions with a public policy focus from Fresh Energy. Also of interest on Hear it Now: "Great Plains Energy Expo & Trade Show -- renewable and sustainable energy." Days of interviews: Monday, October 29 & Tuesday, October 30. |
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