Carbon dioxide emissions reduction target

Biofuels offer a number of technical and enviromnental benefits over conventional fossil fuels, which make them attractive as alternatives for the transport sector. The benefits include greenhouse gas reductions including reduced carbon dioxide emissions, which will contribute to domestic and international targets, the diversification of the fuel sector, biodegradability, sustainability, and an additional market for agricultural products. Biofuels help to protect and create jobs. Table 3.1 shows the major benefits of biofuels. 

The company participants identified global warming as the highest priority for measuring environmental performance. Fifty companies reported that they measured carbon dioxide emissions, but only 32 had set targets for reduction of this. 

Thus, the current situation is characterized both by deep controversies over fundamental issues and by the possibility that important nations may have difficulties in meeting their reduction targets. It appears problematic, therefore, whether the Kyoto Protocol can become binding international law in its present form. For the protocol to come into force, it must be ratified by at least 55 nations, including Annex I countries that together accounted for at least 55% of total Annex I carbon dioxide emissions in 1990 (Article 25). As mentioned earlier, only about 30 countries—none of them in Annex I— have ratified as yet. 

The United States Department of Energy (DoE) projects that total world energy consumption will increase by 59% between 1999 and 2020 and predicts a 20% increase in carbon dioxide emissions1. At the same time, different governmental entities around the globe have set targets on Carbon emission reduction. 

The reduction of emission of greenhouse gases has been manifested with hard figures and has therefore become more than a collective lip service. It is about reducing the emission of carbon dioxide by 80 % until 2050 (based on the figures of 1990)—this target has been defined by the European Union [1],... 

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