| ID | 117220 |
| Title Proper | Challenges of the transition to a low carbon, more electric future |
| Other Title Information | from here to 2050 |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Hammond, Geoffrey P ; Pearson, Peter J G |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Electricity generation presently contributes approximately 30% of United Kingdom (UK) carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (Alderson et al., 2012 and Parliamentary, 2007), the principal 'greenhouse gas' (GHG) having an atmospheric residence time of about 100 years (Hammond, 2000). This share mainly arises from the use of fossil fuel (coal and natural gas) combustion for this purpose. Changes in atmospheric concentrations of GHGs affect the energy balance of the global climate system. Human activities have led to quite dramatic increases since 1950 in the 'basket' of GHGs incorporated in the Kyoto Protocol; concentrations have risen from 330 ppm to about 430 ppm currently (IPCC, 2007). Prior to the first industrial revolution in the 18th Century the atmospheric concentration of 'Kyoto gases' was only some 270 ppm. The cause of the observed rise in global average near-surface temperatures over the second half of the 20th Century has been a matter of dispute and controversy. But the most recent (2007) scientific assessment by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states with 'very high confidence' that humans are having a significant impact on the global warming (IPCC, 2007). They argue that GHG emissions from human activities trap long-wave thermal radiation from the Earth's surface in the atmosphere (not strictly 'greenhouse' phenomena), and that these are the main cause of rises in climatic temperatures. In order to mitigate anthropogenic climate change, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution in the UK (RCEP, 2000) recommended at the turn of the Millennium a 60% cut in UK CO2 emissions by 2050. The British Government subsequently set a tougher, legally binding target of reducing the nation's CO2 emissions overall by 80% by 2050 in comparison to a 1990 baseline ( Department of Trade and Industry [DTI], 2007 and Climate, 2008). |
| `In' analytical Note | Energy Policy vol. , No.52; Jan 2013: p.1-9 |
| Journal Source | Energy Policy vol. , No.52; Jan 2013: p.1-9 |
| Key Words | Electricity ; United Kingdom ; CO2 ; Greenhouse Gas ; Fossil Fuel ; Industrial Revolution |