Climate Stability Possible with Current Technology, Researchers Say
Stabilizing global emissions of carbon dioxide and forestalling the worst consequences of global warming are possible with current technology, say Princeton researchers today in the journal Science. While the Bush administration has stressed the need for “revolutionary technologies … to transform the way we produce and consume energy,” as Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham put it last year, the new study “proves we have the technology several times over, and the marketplace can decide which ones to use,” said study coauthor Stephen Pacala. The study recommends widespread use of a portfolio of some 15 approaches ranging from solar and wind energy to energy efficiency to carbon sequestration to nuclear energy. While they stress that the search for new, transformative technologies should continue, the researchers’ central message is simple: There’s no need to wait. Let’s get started.
