The most serious impacts of climate change can still be avoided. What's more, effective climate protection through the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions is affordable and makes economic sense. These are the main messages sent out by the latest report published by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The findings are based on research carried out by scientists at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). According to the UN report, energy efficiency, renewable energies and carbon capture and storage will all play a key role in cutting emissions. Nuclear energy will play a smaller role.
The report by Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identifies ways of limiting human-induced global warming to a maximum of 2-3°C relative to the pre-industrial value. Without additional efforts to cut CO2 emissions, the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will continue to increase during the coming decades - and so will the Earth's temperature. Several international studies have shown that the necessary steps to limit global warming would cost less than 1. "But even if this rather more pessimistic assumption is correct, the economic costs of climate protection are still affordable", says Ottmar Edenhofer, Chief Economist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
The IPCC's cost predictions are largely based on research carried out by the Potsdam Institute. The new UN report quotes and endorses the findings of Edenhofer's team of researchers, affirming that the economic costs of climate protection would decrease through a pro-active climate policy geared towards stimulating technological change, which would drive down the costs of climate technology. "We calculate that the cost of achieving the 2°C climate target is just 1 reduction in emissions by 2020 "without the lights going out across Germany".
The expansion of renewable energies, improved energy efficiency and carbon capture and storage in geological formations all play a key role, according to the IPCC. Renewable energies could make a 30-35 compared with the current figure of 16%. That prediction even holds if the price of CO2 rises to 50 euros per tonne CO2 equivalent - from a current figure of just one euro.
About the author:
Velimir Lackovic runs internet portal "Energetika" ( http://www.energetika.co.yu )
dedicated to renewable energy sources,oil gas and energy efficiency. Velimir has
completed gratuadte studies in power systems engineering and
has industry experiance of over 20 years in this field.
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