subject: Climate Plan Needs Zero Carbon Energy Production To Succeed [print this page] The European Climate Foundation reports that the European Union will be more than capable of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by the aggressive target of 80% by the 2050. The foundation does emphasize that the Union will need to be aggressive in its efforts, but that when it achieves its goals it will have not only assuage the environmentalists, but also realize reliable service.
At the core of the assertion made by the European Climate Foundation is that energy production can be almost entirely carbon neutral by the year 2050, so long as the European Union works aggressively to invest as soon as possible. Renewable energy generation methods, including additional nuclear capacity must be initiated by building as early as possible. If there is a significant delay through our current decade, building targets and other initiatives will be accelerated so significantly that they may not be achievable.
Nobody is suggesting that it will be easy to achieve a very low carbon economy by the year 2050, unless industry and government leaders are visionary. The investment cost required is estimated to be in the region of 3 trillion within this time span, but the energy efficiency savings and the overall reduction in fossil fuels can more than offset this investment.
The European Union climate plan is actually the most aggressive in existence today, especially as it is tied to industry-leading initiatives such as the EU Emissions Trading scheme, now in its fifth year. Many other parts of the world have talked around the subject, but the European Union has actually taken significant steps forward. The latest findings of the European Climate foundation endorse the Union's approach and should give it additional course to pursue its goals.
Environmental experts agree that the EU must strive for carbon neutrality throughout its power generation sector, if the overall goals are to be met. This is because power generation is a significant part of the overall problem and they must act as aggressively in the establishment of low or no carbon power generation systems.
27 individual nations collaborate to form the European Union climate plan, which is quite an achievement when you bear in mind the differences between these nations. Each one of them signed a burden sharing agreement so that they would take extra efforts to reduce carbon emissions within their borders. In turn, a neutral and semi-independent body was set up to oversee the entire program.
There's considerable pressure on legislators within the United States to come up with a climate plan for the world's largest polluter. Notoriously slow in addressing climate related issues, the United States falls way behind the European Union in taking real action.
Companies in the United States must realize that at some stage in the near future either a direct carbon taxation on a cap and trade scheme will loom. As the United States' own climate plan materializes, companies must be ready to act and they should get to know the size of their business carbon footprint right now so they can be proactive.
