CO2 emissions and climate change
Today, there is a scientific consensus with
respect to the extent of the global warming observed since the
1980s as a result of an increase in CO2
anthropogenic emissions. Climate change could lead to major
disasters: an increase in the frequency and violence of
hurricanes, storms and flooding, acidification of the
earth’s oceans, desertification on the African
continent, etc.
The main culprits are major industrial
facilities (thermal power stations, cement works or refineries,
etc.), which are responsible for almost two thirds of
CO2 emissions worldwide.
And yet the energy demand is set to rise
significantly in the coming decades, driven by the development
of countries such as China or India. In particular, fossil
fuels will continue to be used to produce electricity, pending
the development of the renewable energies that will gradually
replace them.
Against this background, controlling
CO2 emissions – and especially those produced
by industrial facilities – appears to be a matter of
urgency. In addition to the necessary improvements in terms of
energy efficiency, one particular solution is emerging as one
of the most promising options for the large-scale limitation of
these emissions making it possible to tackle the risk of
climate change: the capture of CO2 at its production
source, its transportation and then its underground storage
(CCS). This technology, which was seen as a curiosity just a
few years ago, is now being unanimously studied and tested
around the globe.
Key figures
| • |
Temperature
increase between 1990 and 2100 of between 1.4°C and
5.8°C. Over the same period, the average sea level is
likely to rise by between 9 and 88 cm. |
| • |
In 35 years, the thickness
of the Arctic sea ice cap has fallen from 3.1 to 1.9
m. |
|
