Why other solutions can't act fast enough

WHY OTHER SOLUTIONS WON'T WORK FAST ENOUGH

Forests

• Not enough forests could be grown in the world to sequester enough CO2 in the next 10-30 years.

• Forests are an expensive option compared to soil.

• "Forests" used for CO2 sequestation are not natural forests. They are plantations or tree farms. They can reduce biodiversity.


Clean Coal

• Clean Coal means burning coal and ‘scrubbing’ the CO2 out of the emissions before they reach the atmosphere.

• Scrubbing intercepts only new CO2 emissions. This makes no impact on existing CO2 loads in the atmosphere which must be ‘sequestered’ quickly to prevent the global temperature rising above the 2°C level already predicted to result from CO2 emitted years ago.

Geo-sequestration

• Geologic sequestration means the burial of liquid CO2 (obtained from scrubbing) deep underneath rock formations underground, including exhausted oil wells and coal seams.

• As with Clean Coal, Geo-sequestration can only deal with new emissions, not the existing atmospheric load that is driving the global temperatures up.

• The public acceptability of trillions of tones of liquid CO2 being pumped under the earth when scientists are not sure what the long term security of these caches is doubtful, given that any leakage can have deadly results for life above ground.

Deep ocean burial

• The US Government is planning to pump trillions of tones of CO2 into deep ocean trenches.

• As with Clean Coal and Geologic Sequestration, this solution addresses only new emissions, not the existing atmospheric load.

Solar energy

• Alternative and renewable energy sources cannot impact on the CO2 already in the atmosphere.

• They can reduce future CO2 emissions.

Wind turbines

• Wind generation of electricity does not sequester CO2 already in the atmosphere.

• They can only reduce future CO2 emissions.

Long life light bulbs

• Low power light bulbs can reduce emissions in future.

• They cannot impact on existing CO2 loads in the atmosphere.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Contact Convenor Michael Kiely 0417 280 540, or 02 6374 0329
Or visit www.carboncoalition.com.au.
Blog http://carboncoalitionoz.blogspot.com