Thursday, January 5, 2012

A Bleak Look Into Our Climate's Future


Greenhouse Gas Reduction Schemes seem to be futile
Source: Petr Kratochvil / www.publicdomainpictures.net
Browsing the IEA website regarding the projections of coal use and carbon dioxide emissions, will give you an update of the worsening climate conditions that will soon follow. The projections through 2035 states that coal use as well as carbon dioxide emissions will continue to increase. What is alarming about these projections is that they were probably made while taking into consideration many factors such as international policies and advances in technology.

The recently held UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol along with their claimed future legally binding agreements lack the teeth to enforce the terms that will be agreed upon. India and China are still contending that their economic development should not be hampered by greenhouse gas reduction schemes unless other developed countries also abide by them. The United States, on the other hand, refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and lately, Canada withdrew from it.

What all of this will boil down to is that unless we can develop a clean alternative drop-in fuel that is cheaper than coal and oil, we may well be on our way past the 2°C ceiling on global warming. At present, fossil fuels are still the primary fuel for electricity production and transportation around the world. Finding a suitable substitute for it seems to be bleak. Anyone got an idea? You’re most welcome.

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