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More than 70 per cent of the countries in the world could run entirely on renewable energy

Independent 23rd Aug 2017, More than 70 per cent of the countries in the world – including the UK, US,China and other major economies – could run entirely on energy created by
wind, water and solar by 2050, according to a roadmap developed by
scientists.

And they pointed out that doing so would not only mean the
world would avoid dangerous global warming, but also prevent millions of
premature deaths a year and create about 24 million more jobs than were
lost.

One of the scientists said the social benefits of following their
roadmap were so “enormous” and essentially cost free that human society
should “accelerate the transition to wind, water and solar as fast as
possible”. Rooftop solar panels and major solar power plants; offshore and
onshore wind turbines; wave, hydroelectric and tidal schemes; and
geothermal energy would also be used to replace fossil fuels to generate
electricity, power vehicles and heat homes.

The UK is about to publish its own Emissions Reduction Plan, which is supposed to set out how Britain willmeet its international commitment in the fight against climate change – to
cut emissions by 57 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030. While the UK has
been making good progress on decarbonising electricity generation, the
transport and domestic heating sectors remain problematic. As part of its
attempts to improve air quality, the Government has announced it will ban
the sale of new fossil fuel-powered vehicles in 2040.

It remains to be seen how radical it will be in encouraging the switch from gas-central heating
to low or zero-carbon methods. Writing in the journal Joule, a team of
researchers led by Professor Mark Jacobson, of Stanford University in the
US, warned the stakes were high. http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/wind-solar-water-power-countries-entirely-powered-2050-renewable-energy-climate-change-fossil-fuels-a7908821.html

August 25, 2017 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, renewable