Currently, in the aftermath of the nuclear power reactor accident in Fukushima, the assessment of environmental and social risks associated with technological and natural uncertainties is thought

to be particularly important. Yet this type of assessment lies outside the scope of this study. Instead, we focus on the costs and mitigation potentials of low-carbon technologies.   3 Bioenergy supply is assumed to cause no major land use change or additional CO2 emission in any of the scenarios in this study. See “Key assumptions on the availability of resources and technologies” for more detail.   4 This is a rough approximation of the relationship between bioenergy supply and CO2 emission from land use change. More detailed analysis Tariquidar on bioenergy utilization and CO2 emission requires an integrated modeling approach on energy and land use. Yet this type of analysis selleck inhibitor remains to be done.   5 The nuclear power plant accident in Fukushima may increase scepticism about the safety of nuclear power plants and persuade some countries to scale down their nuclear policies. Some countries, in fact, have already announced plans to phase out their nuclear plants. Overall, however, the impact of the Fukushima nuclear accident over long-term nuclear policies around the world remains to be seen. Therefore, this

impact is not considered in this study. Molecular motor   6 AIM/Enduse[Global] includes integrated biomass gasification combined cycle (biomass IGCC) with CCS as an option for power generation. Biomass IGCC is a promising biomass power generation technology considered both highly efficient and economically feasible, as it is technically similar to the efficient coal IGCC process and can profit from the experiences gained with coal IGCC plants (Rhodes 2007). When biomass IGCC and CCS are integrated in a combined system, nearly all CO2 can be captured (Luckow et al. 2010). Yet biomass

IGCC is still in the demonstration phases: only a few demonstration plants have been built so far.”
“Transitions to cleaner, renewable energy are at the heart of policies in many countries. The focus on renewables has, if anything, become greater recently as uncertainty grows about the viability and acceptability of alternatives to achieve low-carbon growth, including nuclear power and carbon capture and storage (REN21 2010). The Fukushima accident has forced many governments to rethink their nuclear energy plans—Japan has just shutdown their last nuclear power plant, and Germany announced last year it will be nuclear free by 2022. But transitions away from fossil fuel-based energy systems have proven slow despite the potential of renewable energy sources and advancing technologies to utilize them.