Which Technologies Could Help the World Reach its Climate Goals?
2021-11-08
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1The United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, is continuing in Glasgow, Scotland.
2World leaders, climate experts and activists have gathered in an effort to negotiate new action plans to fight the widespread effects of climate change.
3Technology is likely to play a big part in helping the world reach its climate goals in the future.
4Here is a closer look at some possible technology-based solutions.
5Fusion is the process that fires the sun.
6But some experts say it could someday power our homes.
7Fusion happens when the nuclei of two atoms are subjected to extreme heat.
8This leads to the formation of a new larger atom and large amounts of energy.
9One problem is that the process itself requires a large amount of energy.
10Developers of the technology have not yet performed a fusion reaction that releases more energy than it requires.
11In addition, running an electric power plant off of fusion would require the resulting heat to be contained in an economical way.
12Still, scientists at Britain's Oxford University, America's Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other places say they are making progress.
13The British government believes a working model for producing electricity can be in place by the year 2040.
14Advanced nuclear plants would be smaller than today's massive nuclear reactors.
15Experts say they could be used in rural areas and could take over for wind and solar power when the sun goes down or the wind dies.
16But advanced nuclear reactors are difficult and costly to build.
17Critics say they would also create more dense waste.
18And they would run on uranium, which is far more enriched than fuel used in today's reactors.
19That could make some advanced reactors more appealing to militants seeking materials to make weapons.
20In the United States, Bill Gates has said he aims to build a reactor that uses advanced nuclear technology for about $1 billion.
21His plans call for many advanced nuclear plants to be operational by the 2030s.
22China, Russia and Japan are also working on the technology.
23Last month, a Swiss company announced it had launched the world's largest carbon capturing plant in Iceland.
24The system captures carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air and puts the gas underground.
25Currently, there are 15 direct air capture plants operating worldwide.
26The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates the plants capture more than 9,000 metric tons of CO2 per year.
27While that might sound like a lot, it is about equal to the amount produced by about 2,000 cars over the same period.
28Carbon capturing costs are currently high -- in the range of $600 per metric ton of CO2 captured.
29But supporters say those costs will fall as the technology improves.
30Supporters also say tax breaks for businesses in the U.S. and other countries could help the technology.
31But critics, including the environmental group Sierra Club,
32say offering large credits could actually lead to more plants continuing to burn fossil fuels.
33Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas to make a cleaner-burning fuel.
34This could power a fuel cell vehicle.
35Such a vehicle would release environmentally friendly water vapors.
36So-called clean hydrogen can be produced using energy methods such as wind and solar.
37But those methods are more costly than "grey hydrogen," which is made with fossil fuels.
38Another possibility, known as "blue hydrogen," can be made in natural gas plants that capture carbon.
39But some scientists say that process can release methane gas, which would make hydrogen no cleaner than natural gas itself.
40Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is planning to build a $5-billion plant to produce clean hydrogen.
41Geothermal power plants capture heat up to 370 degrees Celsius far below the Earth's surface.
42The heat creates steam that can turn turbines to produce electricity.
43The United States, Indonesia, the Philippines and Kenya lead the world in geothermal electricity production.
44But the technology would need to greatly expand to become a major alternative to fossil fuels.
45Experts estimate the U.S. has the capacity to produce 10 percent of the country's current power demand through geothermal power.
46But startup costs to build the technology are high.
47This has prevented major investments so far.
48Countries lacking in fossil fuel resources, including Japan and Singapore, are seeking to develop geothermal power.
49I'm Bryan Lynn.
1The United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, is continuing in Glasgow, Scotland. World leaders, climate experts and activists have gathered in an effort to negotiate new action plans to fight the widespread effects of climate change. 2Technology is likely to play a big part in helping the world reach its climate goals in the future. Here is a closer look at some possible technology-based solutions. 3Fusion 4Fusion is the process that fires the sun. But some experts say it could someday power our homes. 5Fusion happens when the nuclei of two atoms are subjected to extreme heat. This leads to the formation of a new larger atom and large amounts of energy. 6One problem is that the process itself requires a large amount of energy. Developers of the technology have not yet performed a fusion reaction that releases more energy than it requires. In addition, running an electric power plant off of fusion would require the resulting heat to be contained in an economical way. 7Still, scientists at Britain's Oxford University, America's Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other places say they are making progress. The British government believes a working model for producing electricity can be in place by the year 2040. 8Advanced Nuclear 9Advanced nuclear plants would be smaller than today's massive nuclear reactors. Experts say they could be used in rural areas and could take over for wind and solar power when the sun goes down or the wind dies. 10But advanced nuclear reactors are difficult and costly to build. Critics say they would also create more dense waste. And they would run on uranium, which is far more enriched than fuel used in today's reactors. That could make some advanced reactors more appealing to militants seeking materials to make weapons. 11In the United States, Bill Gates has said he aims to build a reactor that uses advanced nuclear technology for about $1 billion. His plans call for many advanced nuclear plants to be operational by the 2030s. China, Russia and Japan are also working on the technology. 12Carbon Capture 13Last month, a Swiss company announced it had launched the world's largest carbon capturing plant in Iceland. The system captures carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air and puts the gas underground. 14Currently, there are 15 direct air capture plants operating worldwide. The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates the plants capture more than 9,000 metric tons of CO2 per year. While that might sound like a lot, it is about equal to the amount produced by about 2,000 cars over the same period. 15Carbon capturing costs are currently high -- in the range of $600 per metric ton of CO2 captured. But supporters say those costs will fall as the technology improves. 16Supporters also say tax breaks for businesses in the U.S. and other countries could help the technology. But critics, including the environmental group Sierra Club, say offering large credits could actually lead to more plants continuing to burn fossil fuels. 17Hydrogen 18Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas to make a cleaner-burning fuel. This could power a fuel cell vehicle. Such a vehicle would release environmentally friendly water vapors. 19So-called clean hydrogen can be produced using energy methods such as wind and solar. But those methods are more costly than "grey hydrogen," which is made with fossil fuels. 20Another possibility, known as "blue hydrogen," can be made in natural gas plants that capture carbon. But some scientists say that process can release methane gas, which would make hydrogen no cleaner than natural gas itself. 21Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, is planning to build a $5-billion plant to produce clean hydrogen. 22Geothermal 23Geothermal power plants capture heat up to 370 degrees Celsius far below the Earth's surface. The heat creates steam that can turn turbines to produce electricity. 24The United States, Indonesia, the Philippines and Kenya lead the world in geothermal electricity production. But the technology would need to greatly expand to become a major alternative to fossil fuels. 25Experts estimate the U.S. has the capacity to produce 10 percent of the country's current power demand through geothermal power. But startup costs to build the technology are high. This has prevented major investments so far. Countries lacking in fossil fuel resources, including Japan and Singapore, are seeking to develop geothermal power. 26I'm Bryan Lynn. 27Reuters reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 28We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 29______________________________________________ 30Words in This Story 31advanced - adj. having progressed or developed to a late stage 32enrich - v. to improve the quality of purity of something such as a substance 33fossil fuel - n. fuels such as coal, oil, or natural gas formed in the earth from dead plants or animals 34vapor - n. a substance in a gaseous state as opposed to a liquid or solid 35methane - n. a gas that has no color or smell that is used for cooking and heating 36turbine - n. a large machine that produces power by using gas, steam, etc. to turn a wheel 37alternative - n. one of two or more things that you can choose between 38capacity - n. the largest amount or number that can be held or contained