Greener options for the future

Experts at the Warsaw climate conference agreed that greenhouse gas emissions are still rising. Without radical change, the next generation could inherit a much warmer world. But we can still reverse the trend. According to a report commissioned by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), renewable energies could meet almost 80 percent of global energy requirements by 2050.

Carbon dioxide from gas and oil-run power stations is one of the major causes of climate change. If we continue to release the same amount of CO2 from chimneys and exhaust pipes as before, the Earth's average temperature will increase by 6 degrees Celsius by the end of this century, according to a new study.

While Germany is phasing out nuclear energy, it still relies heavily on fossil fuels from mines like this one. According to the IPCC, we can only prevent global warming if we move away from the use of fossil fuels to produce energy. For this reason, 80 to 90 percent of the coal, oil and gas reserves we currently know about should remain untouched, they say.

Researchers at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) have looked at what our energy mix could be like in 2050. Of the total energy needed worldwide, 28 percent could come from solar power, 24 percent from geothermal energy, 15 percent from biomass, 10 percent from wind power and 4 percent from hydropower.

The technology needed for a global energy transition is already available. In the future, more homes could look like these ones in Freiburg's Solar Settlement, situated in southwestern Germany. In this community of 59 homes, the buildings actually produce more energy than they consume.

This 1968 tower block has been newly-insulated and the flats installed with a new ventilation system, reducing its energy bill by 80 percent. This building is also located in the German city of Freiburg.

Laws and energy standards can also help to reduce energy use. Modern LED lamps use only a tenth of the energy needed by traditional light bulbs. A gradual ban on selling traditional bulbs in the EU has made for a quick changeover.

This wind farm covers the energy requirements of 1,900 German homes. Wind energy currently supplies 30 percent of all the electricity in Denmark, 10 percent in Germany and 3 percent in China. Globally, wind energy is a power source with massive growth potential.

Like here in Ethiopia, new jobs and cheap energy without CO2 emissions is possible, say the experts. Not only is it necessary to stop global warming, but they argue that transitioning to a green economy could also boost development and economic growth around the world.