Reports & Papers
A United Nations panel reports that while the political will to curb global warming is lacking, the technologies and strategies to stabilize global warming exist and may be more affordable than previously estimated.
"Climate change is a problem with unique characteristics ... and involves complex interactions between climatic, environmental, economic, political, institutional, social and technological processes," says a summary of a report compiled by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The report is an assessment of the technology and policy options to address climate change, and is the third and final segment of the IPCC''s Assessment Report.
Robert Stavins, Faculty Chair of BCSIA''s Environment and Natural Resources Program, is a lead author of the report. The volume was written and reviewed over a three-year period by experts drawn from economics, political science, sociology, environmental sciences, and other disciplines.
The IPCC''s mandate is to provide objective scientific, technical, and economic assessments of the current state of knowledge about various aspects of climate change. The latest IPCC report cites market introductions of solar and wind power technologies as major advances that could curb global warming, and also says hydropower and nuclear power plants can make an important contribution.
At least until 2020, however, most energy will continue to be generated by burning cheap and abundant fossil fuels, the report says, emphasizing the need for gains in energy conversion efficiency and more combined cycle and/or cogeneration plants. Natural gas could also play a significant role in emission reduction, the report says.
According to the report, the greatest potential for emissions cuts lies in "end-use" energy consumption in buildings, vehicles and manufacturing. Those sectors account for more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions.
The oil and coal industries, and possibly energy-intensive industries such as steel production, are likely to be hit hardest under emissions cutting scenarios. The summary''s authors also state that encouraging companies and consumers to use new technologies and cleaner fuels will require policy-driven requirements and incentives.
http://www.ipcc.ch/