Bangkok, Thailand – There is no shortage of ideas for high-tech measures to combat global warming: Develop clean biofuels made of corn or palm oil, build more nuclear power stations and bury harmful carbon emissions in underground vaults.
But those are the last solutions many environmentalists want to hear about.
For the green lobby pushing this week for forceful action at a U.N. conference on limiting the rise in global temperatures, such answers either cost too much, delay an inevitable weaning from fossil fuels or get in the way of real solutions such as renewable energy and greater efficiency.
“There are a lot of technologies that are mentioned … that are not exactly the most sustainable options,” said Catherine Pearse, international climate campaigner for the Friends of the Earth environmentalist group. “We may be replacing one existing problem with new ones.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the U.N. network of 2,000 scientists that has produced two landmark reports on global warming this year, was working on a study on mitigation measures for release Friday.
A draft of the report features a lengthy list of possible solutions: improved energy efficiency such as hybrid vehicles; renewable sources such as solar and hydro power; cleaner-burning coal and biofuels; reforestation; and even nuclear energy.
The green lobby is a varied group, but most members insist concern over global warming should not lead to increased reliance on nuclear energy.
“For us, nuclear power is definitely not a solution. It’s dangerous; it’s expensive,” said Shailendra Yashwant, a climate and energy campaign manager for Greenpeace.
Biofuels are seen by many as an excellent option. Such fuels are made from corn, palm oil and other agricultural products.
But some just see more damage to the environment. “You should not be cutting down forests (for farm fields) to create fuels,” Yashwant said.
