A drastic switch to low carbon-emitting technologies, such as wind and hydroelectric power, may not yield a reduction in global warming until the latter part of this century, research published today suggests.
Furthermore, it states that technologies that offer only modest reductions in greenhouse gases, such as the use of natural gas and perhaps carbon capture and storage, cannot substantially reduce climate risk in the next 100 years.
The study, published today, Thursday 16 February, in IOP Publishing’s journalEnvironmental Research Letters, claims that the rapid deployment of low-greenhouse-gas-emitting technologies (LGEs) will initially increase emissions as they will require a large amount of energy to construct and install….
Delaying the rollout of the technologies is not an option however; the risks of environmental harm will be much greater in the second half of the century and beyond if we continue to rely on coal-based technologies.
Continuing to rely on coal is clearly an option – a dangerous and risky one, but still an option. The scientists who published this research are perhaps trying to balance out their conclusion that there’s no ‘quick fix’ to the wicked problem of climate change.
Low-carbon technologies ‘no quick-fix’, say researchers – Institute of Physics