modes of curbing emissions
Of course, the best and most effective mode of reducing emissions is abstinence, the cessation of the burning of fossil fuels. Coal mining in the United Kingdom declined regularly and substantially in the post WW II years and is now virtually non-existent. In early 2019, Germany announced a plan to phase out its coal-fired power stations by 2038 and Norway is refusing to drill for billions of barrels of oil in the Arctic. The NZ Labour government has committed the country to a complete transition away from fossil fuels by 2035 and vowed to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 per cent on 2005 levels to meet its Paris agreement. Similarly trends are also evident in China and Japan.
However, in the absence of such overt measures, which in the overall scheme of things are few and far between, what other means are there at our disposal? Here are a few:
Of course, the best and most effective mode of reducing emissions is abstinence, the cessation of the burning of fossil fuels. Coal mining in the United Kingdom declined regularly and substantially in the post WW II years and is now virtually non-existent. In early 2019, Germany announced a plan to phase out its coal-fired power stations by 2038 and Norway is refusing to drill for billions of barrels of oil in the Arctic. The NZ Labour government has committed the country to a complete transition away from fossil fuels by 2035 and vowed to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 per cent on 2005 levels to meet its Paris agreement. Similarly trends are also evident in China and Japan.
However, in the absence of such overt measures, which in the overall scheme of things are few and far between, what other means are there at our disposal? Here are a few: