China's Green Economy

As the world prepares for next year’s Rio + 20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development, it seems that China and the other fast-emerging economies of the developing world have overtaken Europe in terms of investment in renewable energy.

According to a new report commissioned by the UN Environment Programme, investment in large-scale renewable projects such as solar and wind farms totaled $72 billion in the developing world, outstripping industrialized economies by $2 billion in 2010. China accounted for 70 percent, investing $50 billion in clean energy projects, mostly in the form of wind technology.

China’s production of wind turbines, some in collaboration with European partners like the one pictured above at a small fishing port on the Jiangsu coast, are mainly for the domestic market. By the end of 2010, China had only sold 13 turbines abroad. But that strategy is changing. China Longyuan, China’s largest wind power developer, has just acquired the rights to develop a 100 megawatt project in Ontario, Canada. Earlier this month, Sinovel, China’s largest domestic wind turbine manufacturer, concluded a deal to build a 1000 megawatt wind farm in Ireland.

Although China’s target is to produce 15 percent of its energy requirements from renewables by 2020, it is likely that an increasing share of its investment in this sector will be for the export market.

Artificial trees and algal tubes

These are just two of the geoengineering ideas that the Inst. of Mechanical Engineers (IMECHE) have suggested in their report on geo-engineering. Geo-engineering is the manipulation of our built environment to counter the effects of global warming, such as taking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere artificially, and reflecting sun back into space. The highly efficient artificial trees would filter carbon dioxide and store it in underground in disused mines. They look a bit like large solar panels and are already in prototype. The report suggests that hundreds of thousands of them could be positioned along motorways and around wind farms.
Another idea is the use of bioreactors. Bioreactors contain green algae and they photosynthesise, taking carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it to starch and sugar. The algae could be harvested and put to a number of uses, not least as a source of carbohydrate and protein. This idea is not new and there are a number of companies, especially in California that are pioneering bio-reactors, biofences and the like. However the engineers envisage tubes of algal being attached to the outside of buildings where they could take up carbon dioxide generated by traffic.
These and many other ideas will not solve the problem of global warming but they will reduce the rate at which the carbon dioxide levels are rising, giving us a bit more time to tackle the real issues.

Two degrees and no more

G8 leaders have called for 80% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
They have also said that human-induced temperature rise must be kept below 2oC. Tony Blair has encouraged rich nations to use ‘clean’ technology, such as renewable energy, while he has also stated that they should pay poorer countries as an incentive to preserve their forests. Blair said that acting on these measures were “urgent”, although progress was being made. He said there was a “general acceptance” of these measures by most people. The ex-Prime Minister added that China has changed its attitude to global warming, and that they are now willing to help.
Mr. Blair also said that "practical policy making" was now needed, and technological solutions to climate change were reachable, saying only political will was needed to implement them. He finally mentioned that it was now time for the people who will have to get the job done to do it. Blair’s report was published ahead of the Major Economies Forum, being held in Italy this week. This sets out seven different policies to cut emissions.
However, critics say that these measures will be scaled back, and many question whether politicians will get the job done in these times of recession.
Also, it is said that the USA is blocking these short-term targets, and US officials have said that they simply can’t cut emissions quickly enough.
Copenhagen will host a UN climate change summit this December. Others have called for investment in "clean" energy sources such as wind and HEP, as well as carbon capture and storage, new generation nuclear plants and electric or hydrogen vehicles.


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http://www.ecoscene2.captureweb.co.uk/lbshow.php?lightboxid=5271536894543