The article “ Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies” makes a presentation of contemporaneous means of stabilizing the carbon content in the atmosphere to a concentration level that may then be considered acceptable. Although there are other elements that damage the environment, Rob Socolow and Stephen Pacala take special note of carbon dioxide, the most dominant one of all anthropogenic greenhouse gases (2004). The projected stabilization exercise is to cover a 50-year time frame as this is the length of most careers, also being the lifetime of a power plant, and interval for which technology is best envisioned (Socolow & Pacala, 2004) . Therefore, to stabilize carbon content for this period, the world must reduce emissions by seven gigatons of carbon per year (7GtC/year). For this reason, they identify 15 stabilization wedges for which if released they could stabilize or reduce emissions by one gigaton each. It is imperative that these emissions are released on a significant global scale.
Each of these technologies requires huge investment, of which many are conceivable, involving a gigaton each (Socolow & Pacala, 2004) . One of the proposed stabilization wedges involves cutting carbon emission in buildings and appliances. It is projected for 2054, and it should increase the fuel economy from 30 to 60 mpg for almost two billion cars, also increasing the capacity of current windmills by adding 4 million 1-MW, an increment of 100 times their current capacity. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is to also be rolled out at 800 GW of all coal plants.
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This article is an informative piece in respect to the stabilization of carbon emission. Out of the 15 stabilization wedges listed, only seven are significant in reducing these emissions. Just as they have listed, the challenge is to the policymakers as they are the ones to decide which wedge is the best. Additionally, they are the ones responsible for redirecting capital towards deployment of ideal technologies. Thus, action has been presented, and delay should not be an option if the goal is to reduce carbon dioxide emission.
Reference
Socolow, R., & Pacala, S. (2004). Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies, 305 . Retrieved from http://qed.econ.queensu.ca/pub/faculty/garvie/econ443/pacala%20and%20socolow.pdf
