The Global Trend of Energy Saving and Carbon Reducing in Post-Kyoto Protocol Era

Abstract

In recent years, with increased focus on extreme global climates, the drastic population growth, and the exhaustion of resources, humanity has a greater need for and reliance on intelligent, technology-enhanced living, as well as more effective means of production. Being sustainable, green, and environmentally friendly is becoming more and more a global priority. Energy saving and carbon reduction are the keys to achieving intelligent living, clean production, and environmental responsibility. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. One hundred and fifty five countries jointly signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). This treaty and the Conference of the Parties are the origins of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol became effective in February, 2005, and required 38 industrially developed countries in the European Union and the United States to reduce emissions of six kinds of greenhouse gases, including CO2, from their 1990 levels by a further 5.2%, which equates to about 12.86 billion tons between 2008 and 2012. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stated in the Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) [1], issued in 2007, that global warming resulted from anthropogenic global warming (AGW). In addition, AGW further caused extreme climates, melting icecaps, and rising sea levels. Although the causes and effects have been debated among nations, it is undeniable that global warming resulted in the wheat-producing areas of the world moving north, as well as the clear opening of the Northwest Passage, which has facilitated the exploitation of the resources in the polar region. Russia, the United States, Canada, Denmark, and Norway have all longed to benefit from the resources in the polar region. Sustainability and development are now not only environmental issues, but also political and economic battlefields for nations.In 2012, with the expiration date of Kyoto Protocol approaching, how should people set goals toward energy saving and carbon reduction in the post-Kyoto Protocol era? The future is full of uncertainties because of the scrambling for benefits between countries and groups. The intelligent living and the developments of automation and energy saving technologies based on the theory of energy saving and carbon reduction are also turbulent. The COP17 of UNFCCC will be held in Durban, South Africa in November, where it is possible to end the present dissent.

Keywords

• Energy saving
• Carbon reducing
• Sustainable development
• Post-Kyoto Protocol Era