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Here are the main options for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, as sketched in a draft report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC's "summary for policymakers" on how to mitigate climate change is to be issued in Bangkok next Friday after a five-day meeting. The draft says an overarching goal is to establish a "price for carbon," a reference to carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse-gases emitted by burning fossil fuels and by farming. If carbon pollution carries a significant price, producers and consumers are encouraged to switch to low-carbon products, technologies and processes -- and the higher the price, the faster the change and the deeper the cut in emissions. To achieve a reasonable price, a basket of policies and technologies is needed and the mix can include regulatory, fiscal and voluntary measures, says the report. The document does not make any recommendations, but highlights the following options as being proven as "environmentally effective":
Reduce subsidies for fossil fuels and impose a carbon tax. Resistance by the fossil-fuel industry and by the public may make these measures politically hard to implement. Carbon storage (capturing CO2 from burning fossil fuels at power plants and other big sites and then storing the gas in chambers underground) has "significant mitigation potential" over the next two decades.
Help wind, solar, geothermal and other "clean" energies with subsidies, require the purchase of a given amount of the electricity they produce, or set tariffs that make them competitive against fossil-fuel rivals. A price of 20-100 dollars per tonne of CO2 would give renewables 30-35 percent of the total electricity market by 2030.
Fuel-economy and CO2 standards for cars, trucks and buses can be toughened. Countries can also invest in public transport and non-motorised forms of transport to wean people off the road. Higher taxes on car purchase, fuel and parking likewise discourage vehicle ownership, but become less effective with people on higher incomes. If CO2 is priced at 25 dollars per tonne, biofuels would get a tenth of the market for petrol and diesel.
Homes and offices are indirectly one of the biggest sources of carbon dioxide (CO2) as they are heated, cooled and lit chiefly by fossil fuels. Countries can reduce the emissions by regularly updating building codes and energy-efficiency standards for lighting, boilers, air-conditioning and other appliances. Thirty percent of projected emissions from buildings could be avoided by 2020 at "negative cost," meaning there would be a net gain because of lower energy bills. Solar panels, smart metering and "intelligent controls" over building conditions also have big emissions-cutting potential.
Options include subsidies and tax credits, as well as tradable permits, such as the so-called "carbon market" already underway in Europe under the UN's Kyoto Protocol. Voluntary agreements between industry and government are "politically attractive" and raise awareness about carbon pollution but most of these deals have not achieved significant reductions.
Provide financial incentives to improve land management to avoid CO2 and methane being released from soil and to maintain and manage forests. Trees capture CO2 when they grow, although the carbon is released back into the atmosphere when they die and decay. Landfills offer big potential in recovering methane from rotting rubbish, but they may need financial incentives and regulatory support to get the technology established. All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.
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