The Climate Solutions Consensus: What We Know and What to Do About It by National Council for Science & the Environment

Author:National Council for Science & the Environment [National Council for Science & Environment, the]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: science, General, Environmental Science
ISBN: 9781610911283
Google: 9CMFc42xM54C
Publisher: Island Press
Published: 2012-06-22T23:41:54.670520+00:00

FIGURE 9.13 Innovation chain in future electricity generation

Over time, technologies develop from early innovation to niche markets and eventually to mature status in mature mass markets.

Source: [17] via [3]

Technology innovations will be a large part of the solution to climate change as we replace current carbon-emitting energy sources with those that reduce or completely eliminate carbon dioxide from energy production.

The US economy is twice as efficient in energy use per dollar output than China, and Japan is twice as efficient as the United States. With efficiency, nations can make a big step to where we need to go. But energy experts, such as Amory Lovins, point out that the gains in American energy intensity (total energy used divided by GDP) of the past 30 years happened for largely accidental reasons, and not because of the kind of focused effort long the norm in Japan. [13]

By just expanding use of biofuels, improving fuel economy, and tightening appliance standards in lighting, we could reduce emissions in 2030 by 625 million metric tons. Furthermore, if we were to replace projected growth in demand with renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and geothermal), we could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 300 million metric tons in 10 years.[23]

As a new technology enters a market, early adopters may be willing to pay more. But to penetrate a market deeply enough to make a dent in greenhouse gases, new technologies will need to be cost-effective as replacements for old technologies. Government policies can accelerate market penetration by outlawing old technology, mandating new technology, or providing market-based incentives for switching. We create the necessary preconditions for the technological breakthroughs that will supply the energy, abundant and clean, of the mid-21st century. We must also balance this longer time line with our crucial need to begin to dramatically reduce emissions now, ensuring that we are placing ourselves on a trajectory that realistically leads to where we need to go. A comprehensive and collaborative energy and technology plan that is flexible and robust must be developed to ensure our energy future will safeguard our own future. As we think ahead, we should recall that electric power generation emits only two-fifths of US and world carbon dioxide and that transportation emissions are almost as large as those from electricity. So improving energy efficiency for end users in both electrical and transportation sectors would address two and a half times as much carbon dioxide emission as an electricity-only strategy. [26]

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