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An Earth race .. for the future of the planet

  • 10-04-2010 10:17AM
    #1
    zod
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,025 ✭✭✭


    Interesting speech by John Doerr where he discusses Green technology and China.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfMn9P8JWd8


    China on track for the following :

    120 GIGA Watts of wind by 2020
    Six times the amount of stimulus in green tech than the US
    High speed rail adoption as the default intercity mode of transport.

    Conclusion : Put a price on carbon now.

    [His TED talk is here]


Comments

  • #2
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 31,118 ✭✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    The Chinese know that oil is a finite resource and are trying to reduce their future dependance on it, they don't give two hoots about carbon emissions!


  • #3
    zod
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,025 ✭✭✭zod


    Deleted User wrote: »
    The Chinese know that oil is a finite resource and are trying to reduce their future dependance on it, they don't give two hoots about carbon emissions!

    China does not use that much oil to generate electricity, it's mostly coal and natural gas.

    They have huge coal deposits ( third in the world) and so have little to gain from producing electricity from Wind unless it was cheaper than coal, which it isn't.

    They will not be pushed around by the US or Europe with copenhagen agreements but they do have a national strategy addressing global warming.

    Source wikipedia :
    Although China has been taking action on climate change for some years, with the publication on Monday 4 June 2007 of China's first National Action Plan on Climate Change, China became the first developing country to publish a national strategy addressing global warming.[14] The plan does not include targets for carbon dioxide emission reductions, but it has been estimated that, if fully implemented, China's annual emissions of greenhouse gases would be reduced by 1.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2010,[14] although other commentators put the figure at 0.950 billion metric tons.[


  • #4
    Macha
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 6,379 Mod ✭✭✭✭Macha


    zod wrote: »
    China does not use that much oil to generate electricity, it's mostly coal and natural gas.
    Yes - 77% of their installed electricity generating capacity is coal (484 GW)
    zod wrote: »
    They have huge coal deposits ( third in the world) and so have little to gain from producing electricity from Wind unless it was cheaper than coal, which it isn't.

    China is aiming for hydro, nuclear and wind power to provide 250GW of capacity by the end of the year, accounting for 26 per cent of national electricity generation.

    http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2261031/chinese-government-renewables

    A simplistic calculation of A costs more than B in this narrow sense and therefore we will not pursue B is not a good idea.


  • #5
    djpbarry
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 13,104 ✭✭✭✭djpbarry


    taconnol wrote: »
    A simplistic calculation of A costs more than B in this narrow sense and therefore we will not pursue B is not a good idea.
    Indeed; China already has some serious air pollution problems, resulting in severe (often fatal) respiratory illnesses among the population. Their current energy production methods, together with their gross industrial inefficiencies, are clearly not sustainable, economically or environmentally.


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