Energy, Emissions, and Action - Beyond Smoke and Mirrors - page 115

collection of incentives and sanctions that will help assure
the adoption of the techniques that go into the wedges.
The wedges always start small and grow over time. No
major change in our energy system can have an instantan-
eous large effect. If, for example, I want to introduce
natural-gas- red electrical power plants instead of coal-

fired ones because I can reduce emissions with gas as a
fuel instead of coal, I have to build the plants one at a time
and the bene t builds up over time. If I have a new

technology that makes automobiles go twice as far on a
gallon of gasoline I have to start producing the cars, get
people to accept them, and over time replace the old-style
auto years. The next

several chapters will review our options including:

eet. That process takes to

Fossil fuels how much there is, how long they will

last, how they might be better used;

-

Ef enormous

gains can be made by doing the same jobs with less
energy thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions while
also reducing what we spend on energy;

ciency in transportation and buildings -

Carbon-free and reduced carbon energy ts and

limitations of nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels.

- bene

. Winners and Losers

Normally in an evaluation of the potential for greenhouse
gas reductions from various energy options, I would go
through all the options and then give a summary. I will do
that in Chapter

, but will also give my score card now so
the reader knows where I am going and can pay closer
attention to topics where there is some disagreement.