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| 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.
