US DOE respond to IPCC report

Following comments from Edward Davey Ernest Moniz issued a statement on the IPCC’s Working Group report on climate change mitigation;

"The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest report on mitigation makes it clear that the next 10 to 20 years are critical if we are to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The IPCC report notes that it will be substantially more difficult to maintain low GHG concentrations in the long term if we do not act aggressively now. The report also points out that there are many low carbon energy pathways to a prosperous future while mitigating climate change risks to a significant degree.

"Recognising this imperative to act, the US has been doing our part. The President’s Climate Action Plan lays out a series of new initiatives that are underway to bring new sources of renewable power online faster, reduce emissions form our fossil fuel plants and transportation sector, sustain nuclear power, and drive greater energy efficiency across our committees, businesses and industries. In recent years, the US has more than doubled the amount of electricity generated from wind and solar. President Obama set the mark high when he called for another doubling of renewable electricity generation by 2020, a doubling of new fuel efficiency by 2025, and a doubling of economy wide energy productivity by 2030. The President’s all of the above approach entails making the technology investments that will enable all fuel sources to have a role in the future low carbon marketplace, carbon capture and sequestration of fossil power plants, advanced biofuels and electrification for vehicles, next generation nuclear power, lower cost renewables, modernised energy infrastructure, and the manufacturing advances that will underpin a clean energy economy.

"A previous IPCC report indicated that even as we mitigate climate change risks, we also need to address the changes that are already happening as a result of global warming. The President’s Climate Action Plan lays out initiatives for enhancing energy infrastructure resilience to these changes. However, greenhouse gas reductions are essential, ultimately, a much lower cost option than managing climate impacts from unrestrained emissions growth. This IPCC report makes clear that prudence calls for doing all that we can now and in the years ahead."

Adapted from a press release by Claira Lloyd.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/exploration/14042014/us_statement_on_ipcc_report379/