Effects of energy technology on global CO/sub 2/ emissions

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Abstract
The increase in atmospheric CO/sub 2/, which results primarily from combustion of fossil fuels for energy, may alter the radiative balance on the earth and thus raise the global temperature. This so-called ''greenhouse effect'' could cause dramatic global climatic and environmental changes. This study explores the potential for more effective use of energy through improvements in energy technology and determines the consequent reduction in future buildup of atmospheric CO/sub 2/ (which would mitigate the expected climatic and environmental changes). The study was done from the perspective of the physical sciences rather than the social and political sciences, i.e., it focused on how energy is consumed for a specific energy service rather than on technical tradeoffs such as use of mass transit instead of automobiles. Calculations showed that an overall reduction of 10 petagrams (10/sup 15/ g) of carbon emission (i.e. reduction of carbon emission from 17 petagrams without improvement to 7 petagrams with improvement) could be achieved in 2050 in the technology improvements discussed in this study were implemented.

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