Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New Technology
There is a broad consensus worldwide that anthropogenic climate change is a scientific fact. Likewise, the fact is that the UN’s efforts to address climate change over the last 28 years have not been successful enough. It is evident that the global average temperature is on the rise (1.1 °C above pr...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-12-01
|
| Series: | Energies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6703 |
| _version_ | 1827699735383769088 |
|---|---|
| author | Zvonimir Glasnovic Karmen Margeta Nataša Zabukovec Logar |
| author_facet | Zvonimir Glasnovic Karmen Margeta Nataša Zabukovec Logar |
| author_sort | Zvonimir Glasnovic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is a broad consensus worldwide that anthropogenic climate change is a scientific fact. Likewise, the fact is that the UN’s efforts to address climate change over the last 28 years have not been successful enough. It is evident that the global average temperature is on the rise (1.1 °C above pre-industrial levels in 2019). A particular concern comes from the fact that the Paris Agreement on keeping increases in the global average temperature to below +2 °C is an unenforceable ambition, since the focus is more on consequences than causes. In addition, economic policies regarding global taxes, as well as adaptation and mitigation measures, are questionable, as there is no evidence that changes in the climate system will proceed at the same rate in the coming years. This paper proposes an engineering approach that considers all relevant aspects of the climate change problem and proposes a new policy, named the “Climate New Deal”. It deals with: (i) Reorientation from a high-carbon economy to a green economy; (ii) The intensive use of radically new technology, e.g., “Seawater Steam Engine” technology for the simultaneous production of thermal and electric energy and drinking water; and (iii) The intensive use of energy efficient technologies and RES technologies, especially in transport. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:57:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f9479f6328fa4d5fa9e8930ac8b3740f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:57:42Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-f9479f6328fa4d5fa9e8930ac8b3740f2023-11-21T01:34:01ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732020-12-011324670310.3390/en13246703Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New TechnologyZvonimir Glasnovic0Karmen Margeta1Nataša Zabukovec Logar2Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Savska cesta 16, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaFaculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, University of Zagreb, Marulicev trg 20, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaNational Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova ulica 19, 1000 Ljubljana, SloveniaThere is a broad consensus worldwide that anthropogenic climate change is a scientific fact. Likewise, the fact is that the UN’s efforts to address climate change over the last 28 years have not been successful enough. It is evident that the global average temperature is on the rise (1.1 °C above pre-industrial levels in 2019). A particular concern comes from the fact that the Paris Agreement on keeping increases in the global average temperature to below +2 °C is an unenforceable ambition, since the focus is more on consequences than causes. In addition, economic policies regarding global taxes, as well as adaptation and mitigation measures, are questionable, as there is no evidence that changes in the climate system will proceed at the same rate in the coming years. This paper proposes an engineering approach that considers all relevant aspects of the climate change problem and proposes a new policy, named the “Climate New Deal”. It deals with: (i) Reorientation from a high-carbon economy to a green economy; (ii) The intensive use of radically new technology, e.g., “Seawater Steam Engine” technology for the simultaneous production of thermal and electric energy and drinking water; and (iii) The intensive use of energy efficient technologies and RES technologies, especially in transport.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6703climate changeParis agreementSeawater Steam Engineenergydrinking watersustainable development |
| spellingShingle | Zvonimir Glasnovic Karmen Margeta Nataša Zabukovec Logar Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New Technology Energies climate change Paris agreement Seawater Steam Engine energy drinking water sustainable development |
| title | Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New Technology |
| title_full | Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New Technology |
| title_fullStr | Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New Technology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New Technology |
| title_short | Humanity Can Still Stop Climate Change by Implementing a New International Climate Agreement and Applying Radical New Technology |
| title_sort | humanity can still stop climate change by implementing a new international climate agreement and applying radical new technology |
| topic | climate change Paris agreement Seawater Steam Engine energy drinking water sustainable development |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/24/6703 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zvonimirglasnovic humanitycanstillstopclimatechangebyimplementinganewinternationalclimateagreementandapplyingradicalnewtechnology AT karmenmargeta humanitycanstillstopclimatechangebyimplementinganewinternationalclimateagreementandapplyingradicalnewtechnology AT natasazabukoveclogar humanitycanstillstopclimatechangebyimplementinganewinternationalclimateagreementandapplyingradicalnewtechnology |