Global energy consumption is projected to increase, even in the face of substantial declines in energy intensity, at least 2-fold by midcentury relative to the present because of population and economic growth. This demand could be met, in principle, from fossil energy resources, particularly coal. However, the cumulative nature of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere demands that holding atmospheric CO2 levels to even twice their preanthropogenic values by midcentury will require invention, development, and deployment of schemes for carbon-neutral energy production on a scale commensurate with, or larger than, the entire present-day energy supply from all sources combined. Among renewable energy resources, solar energy is by far the largest exploitable resource, providing more energy in 1 hour to the earth than all of the energy consumed by humans in an entire year. In view of the intermittency of insolation, if solar energy is to be a major primary energy source, it must be stored and dispatched on demand to the end user. An especially attractive approach is to store solar-converted energy in the form of chemical bonds, i.e., in a photosynthetic process at a year-round average efficiency significantly higher than current plants or algae, to reduce land-area requirements. Scientific challenges involved with this process include schemes to capture and convert solar energy and then store the energy in the form of chemical bonds, producing oxygen from water and a reduced fuel such as hydrogen, methane, methanol, or other hydrocarbon species.

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Powering the planet: Chemical challenges in solar energy utilization

Increasing population and consumption are placing unprecedented demands on agriculture and natural resources. Today, approximately a billion people are chronically malnourished while our agricultural systems are concurrently degrading land, water, biodiversity and climate on a global scale. To meet the world's future food security and sustainability needs, food production must grow substantially while, at the same time, agriculture's environmental footprint must shrink dramatically. Here we analyse solutions to this dilemma, showing that tremendous progress could be made by halting agricultural expansion, closing 'yield gaps' on underperforming lands, increasing cropping efficiency, shifting diets and reducing waste. Together, these strategies could double food production while greatly reducing the environmental impacts of agriculture.

https://escholarship.org/content/qt6xw5g085/qt6xw5g085.pdf?t=ovfwpc

Solutions for a cultivated planet

Kenji Sumida, David L. Rogow, Jarad A. Mason, Thomas M. McDonald, Eric D. Bloch, Zoey R. Herm, Tae-Hyun Bae, Jeffrey R. Long

Carbon Dioxide Capture in Metal–Organic Frameworks

Climate change undermines a basic assumption that historically has facilitated management of water supplies, demands, and risks.

/pdf/stationarity-is-dead-whither-water-management-4ssoo2ymrp.pdf

Stationarity Is Dead: Whither Water Management?

The escalating level of atmospheric carbon dioxide is one of the most pressing environmental concerns of our age. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) from large point sources such as power plants is one option for reducing anthropogenic CO(2) emissions; however, currently the capture alone will increase the energy requirements of a plant by 25-40%. This Review highlights the challenges for capture technologies which have the greatest likelihood of reducing CO(2) emissions to the atmosphere, namely postcombustion (predominantly CO(2)/N(2) separation), precombustion (CO(2)/H(2)) capture, and natural gas sweetening (CO(2)/CH(4)). The key factor which underlies significant advancements lies in improved materials that perform the separations. In this regard, the most recent developments and emerging concepts in CO(2) separations by solvent absorption, chemical and physical adsorption, and membranes, amongst others, will be discussed, with particular attention on progress in the burgeoning field of metal-organic frameworks.

Carbon Dioxide Capture: Prospects for New Materials

Summary for Policymakers

Mitigation from a cross-sectoral perspective

Foreword Preface Summary for Policymakers Technical Summary 1. Introduction 2. Sources of CO2 3. Capture of CO2 4. Transport of CO2 5. Underground geological storage 6. Ocean storage 7. Mineral carbonation and industrial uses of carbon dioxide 8. Costs and economic potential 9. Implications of carbon dioxide capture and storage for greenhouse gas inventories and accounting Annex I. Properties of CO2 and carbon-based fuels Annex II. Glossary, acronyms and abbreviations Annex III. Units Annex IV. Authors and Expert Reviewers Annex V. List of IPCC publications.

IPCC special report on carbon dioxide capture and storage

This volume of the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides a comprehensive, state-of-the-art and worldwide overview of scientific knowledge related to the mitigation of climate change. It includes a detailed assessment of costs and potentials of mitigation technologies and practices, implementation barriers, and policy options for the sectors: energy supply, transport, buildings, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste management. It links sustainable development policies with climate change practices. This volume will again be the standard reference for all those concerned with climate change. Contents: Foreword; Preface; Summary for policymakers; Technical Summary; 1. Introduction; 2. Framing issues; 3. Issues related to mitigation in the long term context; 4. Energy supply; 5. Transport and its infrastructure; 6. Residential and commercial buildings; 7. Industry; 8. Agriculture; 9. Forestry; 10. Waste management; 11. Mitigation from a cross sectoral perspective; 12. Sustainable development and mitigation; 13. Policies, instruments and co-operative agreements. 300 figs., 50 tabs., 3 annexes.

Climate change 2007 - mitigation of climate change

This report provides information for policy makers, scientists and engineers in the field of climate change and reduction of CO2 emissions. It describes sources, capture, transport, and storage of CO2, as well as the costs, economic potential, and societal issues of the technology, including public perception and regulatory aspects.

/pdf/carbon-dioxide-capture-and-storage-1vjij6e4u8.pdf

Leo Meyer

Papers

Summary for Policymakers

Mitigation from a cross-sectoral perspective

IPCC special report on carbon dioxide capture and storage

Climate change 2007 - mitigation of climate change

Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage