Page 73 - European Energy Innovation - Autumn 2015 publication
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Autumn 2015 European Energy Innovation 73

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practicality and philosophy

interconnectivity, about managing developed nations and those of the warming will reach two degrees before
the peaks and troughs of renewable developing ones; and whether total 2040. The Carbon Brief has charted the
energy production; and the prospect emissions or those measured per capita long history of that two degree limit,
of a trans-European grid. But for the should feature in the dialogue. The first mooted by Nordhaus in 1975. The
moment, continuing growth in wind near thirty-year journey of the IPCC is figure has been critically reviewed,
farm installations means that Denmark testament to the fact that Jakob Askou but it has also been concluded that
could be producing half of its electricity Bøss’ simple call for global solution to a “working toward a 2° target provides as
from renewable sources well before global problem will prove anything but good a focus as is currently needed.”
2020. Nowhere is this approach more simple to achieve. And so, from Paris to Samsø; and
typical than on the province of Samsø, Brussels to Kyoto, many efforts and
whose story we have featured before. Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard much expense is directed at limiting
Today, Samsø island derives 100% of its observed that although life can only the rise in global temperatures to 2
electricity from wind power and 75% of be understood backwards it must celsius degrees from its long-term
its heat from solar power and biomass be nevertheless lived forwards, and (pre Industrial Revolution) average.
energy. climatic events are indeed moving Overshooting this 2 degree target
forwards - perhaps to the extent makes the forecast increasingly
Climate change is self-evidently a global that time itself is now pressing. For alarming with each incremental one
phenomenon that affects everyone on Bøss also observed that, even with degree rise. In that context, and to put
the planet, albeit perhaps in different emissions at current levels, the UN it bluntly, the situation does indeed
ways. Meanwhile, there is an inevitable Intergovernmental Panel on Climate appear bad. Let us all work to ensure
tension between the objectives of the Change (IPCC) expects that global that worse does not happen. ●

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