March 2008
Keys to Climate Protection (Extended version)
Dramatic, immediate commitment to nurturing new technologies is essential to
averting disastrous global warming
By Jeffrey D. Sachs

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=technological-keys-to-climate-protection-ext...

Some extracts/comments in the article:

Technology policy lies at the core of the climate change challenge.

At the margin, a [carbon] trading system might marginally influence the
choices between coal and gas plants or provoke a bit more adoption of solar
and wind power, but it will not lead to the necessary fundamental overhaul
of energy systems.

For that, we will need much more than a price on carbon. Consider three
potentially transformative low-emissions technologies: carbon capture and
sequestration (CCS), plug-in hybrid automobiles and concentrated
solar-thermal electricity generation. Each will require a combination of
factors to succeed: more applied scientific research, important regulatory
changes, appropriate infrastructure, public acceptance and early high-cost
investments to