http://www.tcetoday.com/tcetoday/NewsDetail.aspx?nid=12286
16/11/2009 IMechE urges gov to look beyond mitigation UK will fail goal without all engineering solutions by Adam Duckett Bookmark and Share THE UK’s Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) says that the government will fail its own climate goals if it continues to focus solely on carbon mitigation. In its Mitigation, adaptation and geo-engineering report, IMechE says the UK has reduced carbon output per unit of GDP by 1.3%/y between 2001–2006. But a consistent 5%/y decrease is necessary to achieve the 80% by 2050 reduction that the government bound up in law in its Climate Change Act of 2008. Achieving this “magnitudinous challenge” using just mitigation requires the UK to switch on around 30 new nuclear power stations in the next five years, while retiring an equal amount of coal-fired generation. Considering nuclear, this is practically impossible due to drawn-out planning and approval processes and long lead times required to manufacture major components such as reactor vessels, not to mention the slow process of safely constructing a plant. In a report that reads less diplomatically than is the norm for learned institutions, IMechE says: “the question has to be, are the policies being adopted simply a cop-out so that the UK does not have to take decisive and serious actions, many of which may be unpalatable to politicians and the general public?” If so, it says, the mitigation battle is already lost and the government’s 80% reduction will be delayed until at least 2100. It says the government must think like it is “at war” and stop relying on mitigation and use all engineering methods possible. It suggests what it calls the MAG approach – mitigation, adaptation and geo- engineering. Under this plan, mitigation policy would continue as is, but would be bolstered by an adaptation strategy to protect critical assets from “inevitable climate change impacts”. Furthermore, it would fund the development of geo-engineering projects to alter the atmosphere and environment. It says all government responsible for these three areas should be merged into one super department called the Department of Energy and Climate Security. This would have sole responsibility, and the necessary powers, to direct funding, planning, development, commissioning and implementation of the MAG strategy, having priority above nearly all other departments. It would ensure the continuing mitigation of emissions from power generation, transport, and the built environment, which it concedes is the cornerstone of any successful climate policy. Critical assets including power stations, transport links and population centres would be protected from flooding and overheating and it says in extreme cases the government would have to make some tough choices and plan the abandonment of settlements and infrastructure. Finally, geo- engineering technology, including fake trees that will remove CO2 from the atmosphere and solar sunshades that will reflect heat back in to space, will be developed and deployed until CO2 and temperature is reduced to safe levels and maybe even beyond to reduce historic CO2. The strategy would offer a roadmap for other nations, IMechE says, and would generate 2m so-called green collar jobs in the UK by 2050. This would guarantee many organisations decades of work reducing emissions and protecting the UK, it concludes. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "geoengineering" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/geoengineering?hl=.
