How our energy system caused this-
Here's the breakdown:http://cait.wri.org/figures.php?page=World-FlowChart&view=10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Global_Carbon_Emission_by_Type.png
Our energy sources and technologies are carbon intensive.The methods by which we use energy are causing this.Our sources of energy are causing this.
When every activity we do,and every product we use requires energy,and nearly all our energy is carbon intensive,it's no wonder we're facing such problems.
We've gone from 320ppmv (parts per million by volume) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 390 in 50 years!
Scientists generally agree that 2 degrees Celsius is all the change we can take,any more and...well,let's not go there.Now in order to hold average temperature rise to 2 C,we need to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide at 450 ppm.
When we're adding 2ppm every year,if we keep our emissions flat,we'll reach that in 30 years.
How the new system solves it-
All of the technologies we need to deploy emit little to no carbon dioxide.
Alternative energy technologies are carbon-free!
In the "post-carbon" world,energy is local.You use the renewable source that is plentiful in your area,which also improves energy efficiency through less transmission and makes you aware of your energy consumption.
So,in conclusion,our energy system is causing climate change because our energy sources are carbon-intensive,and because the way in which we use energy is carbon-intensive.
The new energy system-the "clean energy economy" solves (or at least reduces the impact of) climate change through new energy sources,and also through new ways of using energy-specifically by localizing the energy and thinking innovatively/differently about how we use energy.
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The most recent consensus is that our models have been too optimistic. I.e. 450 is too high to give us a 50% chance of remaining below 2C. (all that it ever promised) In fact it now looks very much like where we are today 388 is in fact already too high to give us a high degree of confidence of avoiding cascading and reinforcing feedbacks.
ReplyDeleteJames Hansen has published a couple of peer reviewed papers in recent years that indicate that 350 is where we need to head post-haste if we are to avoid desertification and the end of most glacier fed waterways.