Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
to develop affordable substitutes for the causes of emissions
if we are to get anywhere.
Putting on the brakes to slow and eventually stop global
warming is a much more dif
cult job than closing the
ozone hole since its causes are so tied to economic activ-
ities. However, certain actions can be to every nation
s
advantage, developed or developing. An example is energy
ef
'
ciency, where less energy with fewer emissions is used
to do a particular job. China continues to expand its use of
coal for electricity, but does so mostly with the most
ef
cient power plants. A broad agreement to use the most
ef
cient technologies in all areas of economic activity will
be much easier to negotiate than one with binding com-
mitments that no one knows how to reach.
Since I have become involved in energy and prolifer-
ation issues I have learned one new thing: politics
-
par-
ticularly international politics
-
is much harder than
physics.
