$45 trillion needed to combat warming

[Omaha Steve]

Jun 6, 7:06 AM (ET)

By JOSEPH COLEMAN

TOKYO (AP) - The world needs to invest $45 trillion in energy in coming decades, build some 1,400 nuclear power plants and vastly expand wind power in order to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, according to an energy study released Friday.

The report by the Paris-based International Energy Agency envisions a "energy revolution" that would greatly reduce the world's dependence on fossil fuels while maintaining steady economic growth.

"Meeting this target of 50 percent cut in emissions represents a formidable challenge, and we would require immediate policy action and technological transition on an unprecedented scale," IEA Executive Director Nobuo Tanaka said.

A U.N.-network of scientists concluded last year that emissions have to be cut by at least half by 2050 to avoid an increase in world temperatures of between 3.6 and 4.2 degrees above pre-18th century levels.

Scientists say temperature increases beyond that could trigger devastating effects, such as widespread loss of species, famines and droughts, and swamping of heavily populated coastal areas by rising oceans.

Environment ministers from the Group of Eight industrialized countries and Russia backed the 50 percent target in a meeting in Japan last month and called for it to be officially endorsed at the G-8 summit in July.

FULL story at link.

[Dead_Parrot]

1. You forgot the link. nt

[gristy]

2. "...while maintaining steady economic growth"

I'm concerned that this is a requirement. The planet is finite. "Steady growth" over time is essentially infinite. :(

[The2ndWheel]

4. Investing $45 trillion wouldn't make much sense

if economic growth wasn't the point.

[Ganja Ninja]

3. Yup.

We need to get going on building the future and stop worrying about holding on to the past. We should be talking about building a national high speed rail system. We should be making plans to shift all of our electrical power generation over to solar, wind and nuclear. We should be developing a plan for phasing out gasoline and diesel for our basic transportation needs. We're wasting time and Bush and the GOP are the reason for it.

[ElectricGrid]

5. Sorry but I don't see 1400 nuke plants being built in 40 years.

[Omaha Steve]

6. Link, not the original but it is the same story

http://www.newsroomamerica.com/world/story.php?id=420702