ABSTRACT

Climate change resulting from the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases is now recognized as perhaps the most serious environmental problem facing humanity today, requiring an urgent global and national response. Since greenhouse gas emissions are inextricably linked to energy use and economic activity, effective response will likely require transformative changes in the energy system. Technology could play a key role in this transformation, by helping decouple emissions and other negative impacts from energy use. Such a decoupling could be achieved by increasing the efficiency of energy use and by switching to primary energy sources that have a reduced environmental footprint. The next section examines in greater detail the extent of technology change required to meet climate mitigation objectives.