Why I support almost all measures to reduce CO2 emissions – in one graph

temperature rise and its effects

(Click here for a larger version of the image. Feel free to re-use as well.)

Climate change is not the only environmental problem we’re facing, but it’s the most critical. Many people agree, but as we’ve tried to explain in our book, Climate Gamble, not many countries are taking the danger seriously. After all, the best successes in the fight against climate change have been achieved entirely accidentally – by countries that didn’t even think about reducing CO2 emissions. These countries achieved the feat already in the 1980s by building nuclear power. Even more remarkably, unlike plans that require drastic decreases in energy use, multiple countries (France and Sweden foremost among them) were able to significantly cut CO2 emissions by building nuclear power, despite not even trying to reduce CO2 emissions and while energy use increased.

It’s too early to say with any certainty what a future low-carbon energy system will look like. However, given what’s at stake, it would be far too early to dismiss the most scalable source of low-carbon energy humanity has ever tried.

About J. M. Korhonen

as himself
This entry was posted in Ecomodernism, Energy, Infographics, Nuclear energy & weapons, What they aren't telling you about nuclear power and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to Why I support almost all measures to reduce CO2 emissions – in one graph

  1. Josef Shaoul says:

    The people who push solar and wind never talk about the big unspoken problem of energy storage and base load. But the people who push nuclear never talk about the big unspoken problem of nuclear waste (which has still not been resolved and no path to resolution in sight) and the problem of decommissioning. The first true decommissioning in France is still going on, with no end in sight, and a price tag that keeps rising. I am not against nuclear power, but these 2 issues also need to be discussed.

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