A report commissioned from the German Aerospace Center shows how the United States can meet the energy needs of a growing economy and achieve science-based cuts in global warming pollution – without nuclear power or coal.
The report finds that off-the-shelf clean energy technology can cut U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels by at least 23 percent from current levels by 2020 and 85 percent by 2050 (equal to a 12 percent cut by 2020 and an 83 percent cut by 2050 from 1990 levels) at half the cost and double the job-creation of what it would take to meet energy needs with "dirty" energy sources.
The study makes conservative assumptions to ensure the real-world viability of the scenario. The report assumes that only currently available technologies will be used, and no appliances or power plants will be retired prematurely, and adopts the same projections for population and economic growth included in the International Energy Agency's World Energy Outlook.
"What this report shows is that doing what science says is necessary won't just provide the planet a living future, it actually will create far more jobs and save far more money than business as usual," . "And it will do it without exposing us to the unnecessary risks and pointless boondoggles that would come with any further investments in nuclear or coal."
Read full at eponline.com or download the full report