Article Title: A Plan to Keep Carbon in Check
Author: Robert H. Socolow and Stephen W. Pacala
Today the world’s coal, oil and natural gas industries dig up and pump out about seven billion tons of carbon a year, and society burns nearly all of it, releasing carbon dioxide and causing global warming.
Retreating glaciers, stronger hurricanes, hotter summers, thinner polar bears are some of the consequences of global warming. A way to keep carbon in check is to stop using coal-fired power plants.
Coal has become more competitive as a source of power and fuel because of energy security concerns and because of an increase in the cost of oil and gas. That is a problem because a coal power plant burns twice as much carbon per unit of electricity than a natural gas plant. Coal plants can still be used but they should be the carbon-smart ones that can help capture the CO2 and pump it into the ground. Then the captured CO2 can be sold to an oil company that injects it into oil fields to squeeze out more oil. Natural gas power plants can capture and store carbon dioxide too, and as well as renewable and nuclear energy. Cutting buildings’ electricity use in half by equipping them with super-efficient lighting and appliances would also help. In addition, people can take fewer trips and when they do, they should travel in fuel-efficient vehicles running on low-carbon fuel. Some other ways "decarbonize" include eliminating deforestation, reducing emissions of methane, farmers practicing no-till agriculture rather than conventional plowing, and lower birth rates.
It's scary how most of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere are because of us, causing many environmental problems. Like I always say, because we are the ones who caused this problem, we have to be the ones who fix it. Fortunately, there are already many great ideas on lessening carbon emissions; we just have to implement them and hope that they will work effectively. I agree with many of these ideas too; we should travel less, use fuel-efficient vehicles, cut electricity use, eliminate deforestation. We also need to spread awareness on how harmful carbon is on the environment because I think people don't know that since companies burn it. I believe that carbon emissions would be reduced if we work together and educate everyone. Remember, education and teamwork are the key to success!
Author: Robert H. Socolow and Stephen W. Pacala
- Retreating glaciers, stronger hurricanes, hotter summers, thinner polar bears are the results of global warming.
- Today the world’s coal, oil and natural gas industries dig up and pump out about seven billion tons of carbon a year, and society burns nearly all of it, releasing carbon dioxide.
- As societies get richer, education and health are becoming more important relative to energy-intensive activities. This shift lowers the carbon intensity of an economy.
- Second, people have been more clever on finding what to substitute for energy. Hundreds of power plants are not needed today because the world has invested in much more efficient refrigerators, air conditioners and motors. Hundreds of oil and gas fields have been developed more slowly because aircraft engines consume less fuel and the windows in gas-heated homes leak less heat.
- Increase fuel economy of two billion cars from 30 to 60 mpg. Drive two billion cars not 10,000 but 5,000 miles a year (at 30 mpg).
- Ending the era of conventional coal-fired power plants is at the very top of the decarbonization agenda.
- Coal has become more competitive as a source of power and fuel because of energy security concerns and because of an increase in the cost of oil and gas. That is a problem because a coal power plant burns twice as much carbon per unit of electricity as a natural gas plant.
- Cutting buildings’ electricity use in half by equipping them with super-efficient lighting and appliances would help.
- Coal plants but that are carbon-smart ones can help capture the CO2 and pump it into the ground. Then the captured CO2 can be sold to an oil company that injects it into oil fields to squeeze out more oil.
- Natural gas power plants can capture and store carbon dioxide too. Renewable and nuclear energy can help as well.
- People can take fewer trips (telecommuting instead of vehicle commuting) and when they do, travel in fuel-efficient vehicles running on low-carbon fuel.
- Farmers should practice no-till agriculture rather than conventional plowing, eliminate deforestation, reduce emissions of methane (from cattle and irrigated land), lower birth rates.
- Motivate power utilities to care about the installation and maintenance of efficient appliances, natural gas companies to care about the buildings where their gas is burned, and oil companies to care about the engines that run on their fuel.
Today the world’s coal, oil and natural gas industries dig up and pump out about seven billion tons of carbon a year, and society burns nearly all of it, releasing carbon dioxide and causing global warming.
Retreating glaciers, stronger hurricanes, hotter summers, thinner polar bears are some of the consequences of global warming. A way to keep carbon in check is to stop using coal-fired power plants.
Coal has become more competitive as a source of power and fuel because of energy security concerns and because of an increase in the cost of oil and gas. That is a problem because a coal power plant burns twice as much carbon per unit of electricity than a natural gas plant. Coal plants can still be used but they should be the carbon-smart ones that can help capture the CO2 and pump it into the ground. Then the captured CO2 can be sold to an oil company that injects it into oil fields to squeeze out more oil. Natural gas power plants can capture and store carbon dioxide too, and as well as renewable and nuclear energy. Cutting buildings’ electricity use in half by equipping them with super-efficient lighting and appliances would also help. In addition, people can take fewer trips and when they do, they should travel in fuel-efficient vehicles running on low-carbon fuel. Some other ways "decarbonize" include eliminating deforestation, reducing emissions of methane, farmers practicing no-till agriculture rather than conventional plowing, and lower birth rates.
It's scary how most of the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere are because of us, causing many environmental problems. Like I always say, because we are the ones who caused this problem, we have to be the ones who fix it. Fortunately, there are already many great ideas on lessening carbon emissions; we just have to implement them and hope that they will work effectively. I agree with many of these ideas too; we should travel less, use fuel-efficient vehicles, cut electricity use, eliminate deforestation. We also need to spread awareness on how harmful carbon is on the environment because I think people don't know that since companies burn it. I believe that carbon emissions would be reduced if we work together and educate everyone. Remember, education and teamwork are the key to success!