By Mark Z. Jacobson,
Download the slides:
Mark Z. Jacobson Atmosphere/Energy Program Stanford University
From www.sienceforpeace.ca
What’s the Problem? Why act Quickly?
Air pollution kills 2.5-3 million people worldwide each year.
Arctic sea ice may disappear in 10-20 years. Global temperatures are rising at a faster rate than any time in history.
Increasing energy demand is increasing pollution, global warming, and energy prices.
Higher energy prices lead to economic, social, political instability.
Drastic problems require immediate and definite solutions
Cleanest Solutions to Global Warming, Air Pollution, Energy Security
Recommended – Wind, Water, Sun (WWS)
Wind, CSP , Geothermal, Tidal, PV, Wave, Hydroelectricity, WWS-Hydrogen Fuel Cell, WWS-Battery-Electric
Not Recommended
Nuclear, Coal-CCS, Natural gas, Corn, cellulosic, sugarcane ethanol, biomass Compressed natural gas, Soy, algae biodiesel
Why Not Natural Gas?
50-70 times more CO2 and air pollution per kWh than wind.
Methane from natural gas is a main contributor to Arctic ice loss.
Natural gas causes more global warming but less air pollution mortality than coal over 150 years due to less sulfate (a cooling agent) and more methane (a warming agent) from natural gas than coal.
Coal causes higher mortality. Hydrofracking causes land and water supply degradation
Why Not Clean Coal (With Carbon Capture)?
50 times more CO2 emissions per kWh than wind.
150 times more air pollutant emissions per kWh than wind
Requires 25% more energy, thus 25% more coal mining and transport and traditional pollution than normal coal.
Why Not Nuclear?
9-25 times more pollution per kWh than wind from mining & refining uranium and using fossil fuels for electricity during the 11-19 years to permit (6-10 y) and construct (4-9 y) nuclear plant compared with 2-5 years for a wind or solar farm
Risk of meltdown (1.5% of all nuclear reactors to date have melted)
Risk of nuclear weapons proliferation Unresolved waste issues
Why Not Ethanol?
Corn and cellulosic E85 cause same or higher air pollution as gasoline
Corn E85: 90-200% of CO2 emissions of gasoline
Cellulosic E85: 50-150% of CO2 emissions of gasoline
Wind-BEVs: <1% of CO2 emissions as gasoline
Enormous land use and water requirements
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