As we are moving ahead into the 21st century, our hunger for cost effective and environmentally friendly energy continues to grow. The Energy Information Administration of US has forecasted that only in the first two decades of the 21st century, our energy demand will increase by 60% compared to the levels at the end of the 20th century. Fossil fuels have been traditionally the major primary energy sources worldwide, and their role is expected to continue growing for the forecasted period, due to their inherent cost competitiveness compared to non-fossil fuel energy sources. However, the current fossil energy scenario is undergoing significant transformations, especially to accommodate increasingly stringent environmental challenges of contaminants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides or mercury, while still providing affordable energy. Furthermore, traditional fossil fuel utilization is inherently plagued with greenhouse gas emissions from combustion, especially carbon dioxide from stationary sources as well as from mobile sources. Should worldwide government policies dictate a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, such as proposed by the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of carbon taxes, fossil fuels would lose their significant competitive appeal in favor of nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. However, the current non-fossil fuel energy share of the worldwide energy market is merely below 15%, and therefore, it is more likely that fossil fuel energy producers would adapt to the new requirements by developing and implementing emission control technologies, and emission trades among other strategies.

As we are moving ahead into the 21st century, our hunger for cost effective and environmentally friendly energy continues to grow. The Energy Information Administration of US has forecasted that only in the first two decades of the 21st century, our energy demand will increase by 60% compared to the levels at the end of the 20th century. Fossil fuels have been traditionally the major primary energy sources worldwide, and their role is expected to continue growing for the forecasted period, due to their inherent cost competitiveness compared to non-fossil fuel energy sources. However, the current fossil energy scenario is undergoing significant transformations, especially to accommodate increasingly stringent environmental challenges of contaminants like sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides or mercury, while still providing affordable energy. Furthermore, traditional fossil fuel utilization is inherently plagued with greenhouse gas emissions from combustion, especially carbon dioxide from stationary sources as well as from mobile sources. Should worldwide government policies dictate a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, such as proposed by the Kyoto Protocol and the implementation of carbon taxes, fossil fuels would lose their significant competitive appeal in favor of nuclear energy and renewable energy sources. However, the current non-fossil fuel energy share of the worldwide energy market is merely below 15%, and therefore, it is more likely that fossil fuel energy producers would adapt to the new requirements by developing and implementing emission control technologies, and emission trades among other strategies.

The problems of global warming and environmental pollution are some of the most difficult challenges this planet faces in the 21st century. Carbon dioxide, often identified as one of the culprits, is an inevitable product of the combustion of fossil fuels, necessary for our modern economies to survive. Thus, The Carbon Dioxide Problem refers to the extremely complex matter of limiting carbon dioxide concentrations to levels that pose little environmental risk without devastating national economies and reducing living standards on the planet. This timely book offers solutions to the global warming problem that lie in the development of comprehensive energy and environmental policies that emphasize the need to use energy efficiently while looking to develop alternative renewable sources. The experience of Japan is particularly relevant due to that country's great dependence on foreign fuel supplies, which has led it to be at the forefront of developing new energy conservation and antipollution technologies.

First Published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This book is a Nobel Prize-winning scientist's assessment of options for switching to sustainable energy provision to avert potentially disastrous consequences of climate change.

Provides an introduction to fossil fuels, their impact on the environment worldwide, and why controlling them is crucial to Earth's future climate.

This book covers the exchange of greenhouse gases in various ecosystems, biomes and climatic zones, and discusses the measurement, modelling and processes involved in these exchange dynamics. It reflects the growing body of knowledge on the characterization, feedback processes and interaction of greenhouse gases with ecosystems and the impact of human activities. Offering a compilation of selected case studies prepared by international researchers working in the field, it represents a valuable resource for researchers and students alike.