Researchers have created a ‘roadmap’ for saving the planet from climate change well before the internationally agreed 2050 deadline. The Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland’s report details how carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced to the required level to prevent irreversible damage and maintain global warming below 1.5ºC.
The solution, they say, lies in the world making a total switch to renewable energy sources over the next few years, rather than a partial transition over many decades – and they claim this is not only possible but also makes economic sense. Currently, only one third of the world’s energy is renewable, and the researchers say a move to 69% solar power, 18% wind, 3% hydropower and 6% bioenergy will enable the Paris Agreement’s carbon mitigation goals to be met.
The researchers say this green energy will be cheaper to produce than that derived from fossil fuels and nuclear, while the reduction in CO2 output caused by a mass switch to renewables will mean less need for expensive carbon-capture technology, further adding to the economic argument. They said: “A global renewable transition is the only sustainable option for the energy sector, and is compatible with the internationally adopted Paris Agreement. The energy transition is not a question of technical feasibility or economic viability, but one of political will.”
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Researchers have created a ‘roadmap’ for saving the planet from climate change well before the internationally agreed 2050 deadline. The Lappeenranta University of Technology in Finland’s report details how carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced to the required level to prevent irreversible damage and maintain global warming below 1.5ºC.
The solution, they say, lies in the world making a total switch to renewable energy sources over the next few years, rather than a partial transition over many decades – and they claim this is not only possible but also makes economic sense. Currently, only one third of the world’s energy is renewable, and the researchers say a move to 69% solar power, 18% wind, 3% hydropower and 6% bioenergy will enable the Paris Agreement’s carbon mitigation goals to be met.
The researchers say this green energy will be cheaper to produce than that derived from fossil fuels and nuclear, while the reduction in CO2 output caused by a mass switch to renewables will mean less need for expensive carbon-capture technology, further adding to the economic argument. They said: “A global renewable transition is the only sustainable option for the energy sector, and is compatible with the internationally adopted Paris Agreement. The energy transition is not a question of technical feasibility or economic viability, but one of political will.”