Carbon Folly

Carbon Folly describes the various proposals for cutting CO2 emissions. It provides Americans with the information they need to make a judgment about cap & trade legislation. Carbon Folly does not address global warming per se, but asks the question: Is it possible to cut CO2 emissions by 80%? The United Nations has declared that the United States and other developed countries must reduce their CO2 emissions 80% by 2050. Carbon Folly looks at each of the technologies being discussed for achieving this requirement, including nuclear, carbon capture and sequestration and conservation. The second edition is expanded and updated. It includes a discussion of the proposed Waxman-Markey cap & trade legislation, a review of the slippery slope that started with the 1990 Rio conference, and a description of the pipeline network needed to transport liquid CO2 from coal fired power plants. There are tables showing the source of CO2 emissions, the levels that must be attained to cut them by 80% and a map of the pipelines needed to transport over 30 million barrels of liquid CO2 each day to geologic formations that may be able to sequester CO2. Carbon Folly asks the question: What happens in a few years if cap & trade legislation is enacted and it is determined we are not able to drastically cut CO2 emissions? Carbon Folly establishes that a combination of nuclear generated electricity and electric vehicles could achieve such an objective, but explores whether building over 300 nuclear power plants is feasible by 2050. Without nuclear power, electric vehicles do not significantly reduce CO2 emissions. But, what about wind, solar and other alternatives? Each is examined so Americans can make judgments about them in the context of cutting CO2 emissions.