Will it be possible to avoid the global warming? It seems more and more dubious. At the political level, only the European Union has decided further cuts of GHG emissions. The economic crisis will make such decisions more and more difficult to implement. The nuclear power phase-out in Germany and some other European countries will favour the use of coal and make this goal even more difficult to achieve. The public opinion tends to think that technology can bring an answer to any problem. In the area of energy, it is certainly not the case. Energy conservation is a must, but energy is vital for the economy and energy savings alone cannot provide a solution to the problem. Alternative technologies are not ready. In the case of wind and solar power, huge investments will be needed and the issue of energy storage is not yet solved. In the case of coal-fired power plants, it is not clear yet that CCS is a realistic option, due to the economic costs, the risks involved and the potential reluctance of public opinion. New, more competitive options, are needed and it will take time. They may arrive too late, by 2030 and beyond.
Sera-t-il possible d'agir à temps pour éviter le réchauffement climatique? On peut craindre de plus en plus que ce ne sera pas le cas. Au niveau politique, seule l'Union Européenne est engagée dans un programme contraignant de réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre au delà de 2012, alors que sa contribution à ces émissions est devenue mineure. Elle est aux prises avec une crise économique qui est devenue de loin la principale préoccupation de l'opinion et des dirigeants politiques. La sortie du nucléaire de l'Allemagne et d'autres pays européens va favoriser l'utilisation du charbon et rendre la tâche encore plus difficile.