The technology needed to cut the world’s greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050 already exists, according to a joint statement by 11 of the world’s largest engineering organizations.
Collectively they represent over 1.2 million engineers spanning four continents.
They presented the statement last week to South African Deputy High Commissioner ahead of December’s COP17 climate change talks in Durban.
It says that generating electricity from wind, waves and the sun, growing biofuels sustainably, zero emissions transport, low carbon buildings and energy efficiency technologies have all been demonstrated.
However they are not being developed for wide-scale use fast enough and there is a desperate need for financial and legislative support from governments around the world if they are to fulfill their potential.
"While the world’s politicians have been locked in talks with no output, engineers across the globe have been busy developing technologies that can bring down emissions and help create a more stable future for the planet, says Dr. Colin Brown, Director of Engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
"We are now overdue for government commitment, with ambitious, concrete emissions targets that give the right signals to industry, so they can be rolled out on a global scale."
The statement calls for:
- A global commitment at Durban for greenhouse gas emissions to peak by 2020, followed by substantial reductions by 2050;
- Governments to ensure that green policies don’t unfairly and unintentionally act to the detriment of one particular industry or country;
- Intensive effort to train and retrain workforces to ensure we have the right skills for new industries that will spring up around green technologies;
- A heavier emphasis to be placed on boosting energy efficiency, which is the best available measure to bring down emissions in the short and medium term.
The joint statement resulted from the Future Climate 2 conference on technologies needed to combat climate change.
Highlights from the conference include:
- The German Association of Engineers reported that phasing out of nuclear in Germany could lead to a doubling in national carbon emissions by 2050, with domestic renewable energy simply unable to fill the gap.
To reach a planned 80% reduction in emissions, Germany must brace itself for expensive technological fixes and large-scale import of green electricity produced by solar from the Mediterranean;
- The UK Committee for Climate Change, which is advising the Government on its low carbon strategy, recommends an energy mix of 40% nuclear, 40% renewable, 15% Carbon Capture and Storage and 5% fossil fuel by 2030. It also suggests we aim for 40% of our vehicles to be hybrid and 20% to be wholly electric by 2030;
- An investigation into the environmental impact of reducing the high level of meat in our diets shows it would free up tens of thousands of hectares of arable land in the UK. If this land was, in turn, left to revert back to its natural woodland state this could lead to huge reductions in CO2.
The 11 engineering institutions that signed the joint statement are:
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) (UK)
The Institution of Engineers (India)
The Association of German Engineers (VDI) (Germany)
The Japanese Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME) (Japan)
The Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers (APESMA) (Australia)
The Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) (Denmark)
The Civil Engineer Organisation of Honduras (CICH) (Honduras)
The Finnish Association of Graduate Engineers (TEK) (Finland)
The Union of Professional Engineers (UIL) (Finland)
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