Speaking inJapan ahead of the G8 meeting of energy ministers there this weekend,International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Nobuo Tanaka warned onFriday that a technological revolution is the only way to solve the problem ofclimate change [PDF link].
In callingfor industry and governments to embrace new technologies that can halvegreenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Tanaka said the total cost would be of theorder of $45 trillion (£23 trillion), which equates to 1.1 per cent of global GDPover that period.
Policy proposals
The likelycost of the clean energy technologies and the 2050 timeframe come from a new IEAreport that was commissioned by the G8 in 2005. At 643 pages, ‘EnergyTechnology Perspectives – Strategies & Scenarios to 2050’ isn’t short, butits authors have a resoundingly clear message.
Tanaka underlinedhis point, saying, "We require immediate policy action and technologicaltransition on an unprecedented scale – a new global technological revolutionwhich would completely transform the way we produce and use energy."
Focusingon the current high price of oil and its impact, Tanaka said, "Gordon Brown,the UK Prime Minister, says we are now in the third oil crisis – maybe so, butthis book is the answer."
Consumer side
Althoughmuch of the report focuses necessarily on the supply side of the energyequation – power generation, carbon capture and storage - IEA colleague Dolf Gielenaddressed specific consumer technologies, particularly in transport.
He said: "Bio-fuels,battery/electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles each play a role.Cars account for about half of total transport sector fuel demand, [but] … we’renot able to say which [technology] will gain the dominant position."
Inaction not an option
Ifconcepts on a global scale are sometimes difficult to rationalize when weconsider how to heat our homes or whether or not to leave devices on standby,then it’s worth considering the alternative to following the IEA’srecommendations.
Accordingto the report, inaction will lead to a 70 per cent rise in oil consumption by2050 and an increase in average global temperatures by as much as 6 per cent.
If thethreat of ever-increasing extreme weather events, including more catastrophic hurricanesand massive costal flooding, isn’t enough to force a change from G8 leaders,then the choice of which gadget to buy or car to drive will become increasinglyirrelevant.
More...
In callingfor industry and governments to embrace new technologies that can halvegreenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Tanaka said the total cost would be of theorder of $45 trillion (£23 trillion), which equates to 1.1 per cent of global GDPover that period.
Policy proposals
The likelycost of the clean energy technologies and the 2050 timeframe come from a new IEAreport that was commissioned by the G8 in 2005. At 643 pages, ‘EnergyTechnology Perspectives – Strategies & Scenarios to 2050’ isn’t short, butits authors have a resoundingly clear message.
Tanaka underlinedhis point, saying, "We require immediate policy action and technologicaltransition on an unprecedented scale – a new global technological revolutionwhich would completely transform the way we produce and use energy."
Focusingon the current high price of oil and its impact, Tanaka said, "Gordon Brown,the UK Prime Minister, says we are now in the third oil crisis – maybe so, butthis book is the answer."
Consumer side
Althoughmuch of the report focuses necessarily on the supply side of the energyequation – power generation, carbon capture and storage - IEA colleague Dolf Gielenaddressed specific consumer technologies, particularly in transport.
He said: "Bio-fuels,battery/electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles each play a role.Cars account for about half of total transport sector fuel demand, [but] … we’renot able to say which [technology] will gain the dominant position."
Inaction not an option
Ifconcepts on a global scale are sometimes difficult to rationalize when weconsider how to heat our homes or whether or not to leave devices on standby,then it’s worth considering the alternative to following the IEA’srecommendations.
Accordingto the report, inaction will lead to a 70 per cent rise in oil consumption by2050 and an increase in average global temperatures by as much as 6 per cent.
If thethreat of ever-increasing extreme weather events, including more catastrophic hurricanesand massive costal flooding, isn’t enough to force a change from G8 leaders,then the choice of which gadget to buy or car to drive will become increasinglyirrelevant.
More...