Energy Solutions to Air Pollution and Global Warming - Air Pollution and Global Warming: History, Science, and Solutions - page 310

greatest engineering and technological accomplish-
ment, put a human on the moon in less than 10 years.
Although these projects differ from the one discussed
here, they suggest that the complete transformation of
the world's energy system is not an insurmountable
barrier.
Because global warming (particularly loss of the
Arctic sea ice), air pollution, and energy insecurity are
current and growing problems that require rapid action
to prevent catastrophic damage, and because several
decades are needed for new technologies to become
fully adopted, this analysis considers only technologies
that exist and that can be ramped up without further
major development. To ensure that the energy system
remains clean in the long run, even in the presence
of population and economic growth, this analysis also
considers only technologies that have near-zero emis-
sions of greenhouse gases and air pollutants per unit of
energy output over their whole life cycles , from manu-
facturing through operational use to decommissioning.
Similarly, it considers only those technologies that have
little impact on land footprint and availability, water
pollution, and water resources; those that do not have
significant waste disposal, air or water contamination,
or terrorism risks associated with them; and those based
on primary resources that are indefinitely renewable or
recyclable. Energy systems running on wind, water, and
solar power satisfy these criteria.
Aprevious study reviewed and ranked several energy
systems proposed to address the problems mentioned
with respect to their impacts on global warming; air,
thermal, and water-chemical pollution; water supply;
land use; wildlife; and nuclear weapons proliferation
(Jacobson, 2009). The overall rankings for electric
power and vehicle options are given in Table 13.1.
All recommended electric power options are driven
by WWS. The recommended vehicle options included
battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and electrolysis-
produced (electrolytic) hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
(EHFCVs), also powered by the WWS options. These
and other existing technologies for the heating/cooling
sectors are presented here. Other clean WWS electric
power sources, such as ocean or river current power,
could also be deployed, but they are not discussed in
this topic for simplicity's sake.
Some technologies, such as nuclear power and coal
with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) for elec-
tricity, and corn and cellulosic ethanol fuel for trans-
portation, solid biofuels for electricity production, other
types of biofuels for transportation, and natural gas
were not recommended because they were found to be

Table 13.1. Cleanest solutions to global warming, air
pollution, and energy security

Electric power Vehicles

Recommended
Wind

Battery electric vehicles
(BEVs)

Concentrated solar power
(CSP)

Electrolytic hydrogen fuel
cell vehicles (EHFCVs)

Geothermal
Tidal
Solar photovoltaics (PVs)

Wave
Hydroelectric
Not Recommended
Nuclear Corn ethanol fueled

vehicles

Coal with carbon capture Cellulosic ethanol fueled

vehicles

Natural gas Sugarcane ethanol fueled

vehicles

Coal without carbon
capture

Soy or algae biodiesel
fueled vehicles

Solid biofuels Compressed natural gas

fueled vehicles

Source: Jacobson (2009).

moderately or significantly worse than WWS options
with respect to air and water pollution, global warming,
land use impacts, and/or water supply. More specific
reasons why several of these technologies are not rec-
ommended are discussed next.

13.1.1. Why Not Nuclear Energy?
Forseveral reasons, the analysis did not recommend
nuclear energy (conventional fission, breeder reactors,
thorium, or fusion) as an energy source that should be
expanded in the future. First, the growth of nuclear
energy has historically increased the ability of nations
to obtain or enrich uranium for nuclear weapons .A
large-scale worldwide increase in nuclear energy facil-
ities would exacerbate this problem, putting the world
at greater risk of a nuclear war or terrorism catastrophe.
The historic link between energy facilities and weapons
is evidenced by the development or attempted develop-
ment of weapons capabilities secretly in nuclear energy