Carbon global emission

One of the main benefits from future use of biofuels would be the reduction of greenhouse gases compared to the use of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming, is released into the air from combustion. Twenty-four percent of worldwide energy-related carbon emissions in 1997 were from the United States. Carbon... 

Implementation of the 1998 Kyoto Protocol, which is designed to reduce global carbon emissions, will have dramatic effects on fossil fuel usage worldwide. The Kyoto Protocol mostly affects delivered prices for coal and conversion of plants to natural gas, nuclear and/or renewable resources. However, as pointed out by the International Energy Agency, increased natural gas consumption in the United States may likely have the effect of increased reliance... 

Natural gas will continue to be substituted for oil and coal as primary energy source in order to reduce emissions of noxious combustion products particulates (soot), unburned hydrocarbons, dioxins, sulfur and nitrogen oxides (sources of acid rain and snow), and toxic carbon monoxide, as well as carbon dioxide, which is believed to be the chief greenhouse gas responsible for global warming. Policy implemented to curtail carbon emissions based on the perceived threat could dramatically accelerate the switch to natural gas. 

On a global scale, there is little doubt that human activities associated with energy production, primarily of fossil fuels, have over the last few decades, altered the composition of atmospheric gases. World carbon emissions are expected to exceed 1990 levels by 39 percent in 2010. By 2020, this figure will be closer to 70 percent Two thirds of the total increase in carbon emissions will occur in non-industrialized countries. 

Today, the annual amount of carbon dumped globally into the atmosphere corresponds, on average, to 1 ton per person on the planet. In the United States and China, carbon-based energy, in particular coal, is especially dominant (Figure 15.3) [5]. The average American per capita emission is 5 ton of carbon annually. In Sweden (with a similar standard of living as... 

Five years ago the wholesale price of a metric ton of coal was about 25 in early 2008 it was up to 140 and rising. In contrast to oil and natural gas, the United States has very substantial coal reserves amounting to 27% of the global total (Table 1.6). Yearly coal consumption by the United States is 1.1 billion tons. Today in the United States, about 2 trillion kWh of electricity (about 55% of the total) are produced from coal (Table 1.4), and by 2030, that number is projected to rise to 3.3 trillion kWh (or 62%). The carbon emission from electric power generation is about 2.3 billion metric tons (90% from coal), and that emission is also projected to rise to 3.3 billion metric tons by 2030. Some projections in the past suggested that at this rate American coal... 

Figure 1.11, prepared by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, describes the global carbon cycle. It provides data that was collected in 2001. Since that date, the yearly anthropogenic carbon emissions (measured in carbon equivalent terms) increased from 6.3 to about 9 billion metric tons (over 1 ton per capita in the world). In November 2007, the National Academy of Science reported actual emissions for 2006 as 8.4 billion tons. Carbon equivalent means that the emission of 3.7 tons of COz is counted as the emission of 1 ton of carbon, so the 8.4 billion tons per year of carbon that enters the atmosphere owing to fossil fuel combustion corresponds to 33 billion tons per year of C02 because of the molecular weight ratio of COz to carbon (44/12). 

Figure 1.12 shows the global trend in carbon emissions. As a result of these emissions, the global temperature has already risen by 0.74°C (1.3°F). If this trend continues, by 2030 the global temperature can rise by 6°C (11°F). Just because of the thermal expansion of the waters, this will result in the rise of ocean levels by about 60 cm (23 in.). According to the UN panel report in November 2007, if the ice sheets over Western Antarctica and Greenland continue to melt, the sea level rise can reach 40 ft in a few centuries. 

It is debatable what the emission rate is that would stabilize the atmospheric C02 concentration at an acceptable level. Similarly, it is not known how much the emission charge should be to reach that target rate. According to an MIT study released in March 2007, if a global carbon emission charge of 25/ton was applied, this would result in stabilizing the global C02 emission at today s rate of 28 billion tons per year by 2050. 

Less-developed nations such as China believe that the industrial nations polluted their way into prosperity and became concerned about environmental damage only after their economies had already matured. Therefore, they feel it is unfair that the industrial nations—which did and are still emitting most of the greenhouse gases—should expect the less-developed ones to curtail their economic development to cut global carbon emissions. At the 2007 UN conference in Bali, China and India continued to refuse limiting their emissions. 

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