Climate Change Update

Leading scientists from around the world have just published a feasibility study into a number of geo-engineering schemes – some plausible, some possibly hair-brain – as possible ways of cooling down the Earth.

Organised by the Royal Society, the report looked at the use of several technologies that concluded that there could be significant side-effects and unknown dangers.

However, they did call for a £100 million annual global research fund to enable continuous study of geo-engineering technologies, believing that it may result in the only option if the world fails to act fast enough on climate change.

Said Professor John Shepherd: “It is an unpalatable truth that unless we can succeed in greatly reducing carbon dioxide emissions, we are heading for a very uncomfortable and challenging climate future.”

In another current initiative, the European Union in collaboration with major players such as Shell has a demonstration facility in Germany working on carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology that will enable CO₂ emissions to be stored safely underground.

Parallel to the research is the development of renewable energy to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, with governments around the world allocating more resources and financial support. President Obama’s 2010 budget calls for the US to double its renewable capacity in just 3 years.

Although the wind, sea and earth can all make a contribution it is the energy from the sun that is vast and virtually unlimited. However, because of the cost required to develop a solar infrastructure it so far accounts for only a tiny fraction of the world’s energy output.

And for now at least, while the amount of power from all renewables is limited, and production costs are higher than conventional energy, industry remains reliant on fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas that are damaging the climate.

The message is clear, while research and development continues into all future options, we must act. In our businesses and in our homes we must be more environmentally conscious and we must be more energy efficient.