September 2004

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A new study by two Princeton University scientists says 15 technologies exist that could stop the rise of global warming, and work on implementing them could start immediately. Writing in the Aug. 13 issue of “Science”, Profs. Stephen Pacala and Robert Socolow, co-directors of Princeton’s Carbon Mitigation Initiative, identify 15 technologies - from wind, solar and nuclear energy to various conservation techniques and including various hydrogen production technologies - that they say are ready for large-scale use, with each of them able to solve a significant portion of the problem. “It certainly explodes the idea that we need to do research for a long time before getting started,” Princeton’s release quoted Pacala as saying. Added Socolow, “if we decide to act, we will need to reduce carbon emissions across the whole global economy. Fortunately, we have the tools to do this, especially if we think in terms of 50-year campaigns, not instant solutions.” The study did not examine the cost of scaling up these technologies, but Pacala and Socolow say that implementing the measures is likely to generate economic benefits, including the creation of new industries, thus reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil and lessening the need for other pollution control expenses associated with burning coal and other fossil fuels. The authors say each of the 15 technologies could prevent 1 billion tons/year worth of carbon emissions by 2054, and it would put the world on a track to stabilize CO2 concentration at about 500 parts per million, about double that of the preindustrial level of 280 ppm. Current concentration is about 375 ppm. The Carbon Mitigation Initiative, a project of Princeton’s Environmental Institute, is funded by $20 million in grants from BP and Ford Motor Co.