Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: teragram on 16/09/2018 13:48:49
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Is there any hope of effective action on climate change?
I quote from an article in New Internationalist 515 September/October 2018:-
'The UN's International Civil Aviation Organisation has identified a new kind of low-carbon aviation fuel...."kerosene". Apparently the old fashioned jet fuel will now be classified as a climate-friendly "alternative fuel" so long as it's processed in a refinery powered by renewable energy. This handy new definition of "clean oil" was agreed by the ICAO thanks to pressure from the US and Saudi Arabian delegations, according to the European Federation for Transport and Environment....'
The article goes on to criticise the ICAO's carbon offsetting scheme known as "CORSIA" and then continues;
'Airlines can also classify their flights as "lower carbon" by using biofuels - even though the majority of biofuels have been linked to (direct or indirect) deforestation, often making them even worse for the climate than burning fossil fuels. Despite these loopholes, the promise of making aviation growth "carbon neutral" frequently crops up as an excuse for airport expansion.....
The creation of climate - friendly fossil fuel is likely to be the final sputter of CORSIA's engine before it heads towards the ground: aviation isn't going to become low - carbon anytime soon....'
Any comments?
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Interestingly, I was discussing this possibility last night with a fellow aviator who happens to be a biogas supplier, and last week with a number of people in the road transport business.
There is no doubt that liquid fuels are the best way of moving stuff. The technology is mature and we don't need to make any new cars, buses or planes to meet current demand. The trick is to make liquid fuels from biomass or even directly from atmospheric carbon (as Audi have done), rather than mucking about with batteries.
I doubt that it will have any impact on the climate, but it makes more sense than basing an entire economy on a limited resource controlled by our enemies. Watch this space.
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There is no doubt that liquid fuels are the best way of moving stuff. The technology is mature and we don't need to make any new cars, buses or planes to meet current demand.
Thanks for your comments.
I agree that liquid fuels are the best way in the short term, for the reasons you stated, but long term they can only be the answer if their production doesn't lead to more climate change problems caused by deforestation. Even then the energy required to create and process liquid fuels must be considered. In any case, I think action should already have been instigated, with urgency.
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I don't think deforestation is going to be a problem with regard to biofuel, which can be made from all the inedible bits of the plants we grow for food, plus sustainable forestry and recycling paper and other forest waste. It will be a problem eventually if we don't seriously limit the human population - the Answer to Everything, which nobody wants to hear.