Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Studies must be conducted on new systems for production, transfor-
mation and use of energy in order to consume less energy and emit less
CO 2 [30]. Carbon capture and storage or recycling techniques must
also be developed. Higher efficiencies and greater use of renewable
energies will necessitate new energy storage systems and new energy
vectors. This will be impossible to achieve without a major research and
innovation effort.
The creative effort required does not simply concern technical innova-
tion but also ways of life and behaviour. We will have to take a fresh look
at habitat and mobility to better adapt them to the new constraints,
introduce new consumption modes and modify working methods, while
preserving and, whenever possible, improving the quality of life.
Appropriate regulation systems must also be defined and applied on
a global scale to protect the environment. Creation within the European
Union of an emissions trading scheme represents an interesting example
of an economic mechanism which favours a reduction in CO 2 emissions.
Without a strong political commitment from the main emitting coun-
tries, it will not be possible by 2050 to halve the global CO 2 emissions
compared with the current level, or even reduce them to this level.
The creation of programmes involving different countries and interna-
tional groups of experts such as the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change) should help develop the necessary measures on an
international scale.
These various actions are complementary. They imply collective aware-
ness regarding the urgency of the actions to be undertaken and demand
creativity in all areas. The exceptional tools currently available to observe
the planet (in particular satellites) and the development of communication
systems (internet, TV) are invaluable vectors to generate this awareness.
The risks involved in the solutions proposed must nevertheless be
assessed. Some appear risky: this is the case, for example, with injection
of CO 2 into the oceans and 'geo-engineering' solutions, which consist in
reducing the transmission of solar radiation through the atmosphere by
injecting sulphur particles to create aerosols which increase the atmo-
spheric albedo.
Means of action
To support the global energy demand essential for development of the
planet while avoiding a climatic catastrophe, action must be taken along
two axes, as illustrated in Figure 4.2.
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