NPR: Innovation Seen As Key To Curbing Climate Change

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http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100229450

Environment

Innovation Seen As Key To Curbing Climate Change

by Richard Harris

Morning Edition, February 4, 2009 · The Obama administration has very ambitious plans for confronting climate change: billions of dollars targeted toward energy and climate in the stimulus package are just a tiny down payment.

But a sobering analysis shows even the most ambitious aspirations fall far short of what's needed. And that has led some people to suggest that the world needs to take a whole new approach to climate change.

First, the challenge is immense. President Obama has set a goal of slashing our greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent between now and the middle of the century. That means phasing out most fossil fuels or going to the vast expense of burying carbon dioxide underground.

An Effective Goal?

Robert Corell at the Heinz Center in Washington, D.C. asks a simple question: What if the United States is able to meet that goal? And what if Europe meets it, too? Corell notes that China isn't planning to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, but it does plan to constrain their growth.

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