Climate change
Climate change resulting from emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is one of the greatest environmental challenges of our time.
Carbon dioxide is emitted into the atmosphere when fossil fuels are combusted in power plants, vehicles and industry. Today, coal, oil, and gas supply over 80 per cent of all primary energy and 64 per cent of electricity worldwide.
Vattenfall’s strategy for combating climate change
We understand the urgent need to cut greenhouse gas emissions. We are involved in developing and implementing three main carbon dioxide-reducing measures:
- Optimisation of existing technology because increased efficiency reduces the emissions per unit of energy produced
- Increased use of non-carbon dioxide energy sources
- Capturing and permanent storage of carbon dioxide from fossil-fueled power plants
Steps to reduce CO2 emissions
Since 1990, the specific emissions of carbon dioxide (g/kWh) from Vattenfall´s operations, including acquired companies, have decreased by 36 per cent in electricity generation and 29 per cent in heat production. However, our plants still emit almost 80 million tonnes per year. Carbon dioxide emissions are always a key consideration when making new investments.
Vattenfall is running a major research and development project aimed at developing commercial concepts for the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) from large coal-fired power plants, and for its safe and permanent storage deep underground.
Our carbon capture and storage project ‘Vattenfall's project on CCS' started in 2001. The objective is to have a commercial concept developed between 2015 and 2020. A research plant is currently under construction in Germany. The research plant will be commissioned in mid-2008.
An ongoing modernisation programme in Poland will lead to further reductions of carbon dioxide emissions. In Sweden, Denmark and Finland we have rebuilt a number of heating plants and combined heat and power plants in order to switch from fossil fuels to biofuels.
Curbing climate change
We take the climate change challenge very seriously , and we are therefore engaged in international discussions. To address the challenge of climate change on a global level, Vattenfall has outlined a proposal for a global adaptive burden-sharing model. In the report entitled “Curbing Climate Change - an outline of a framework leading to a low carbon emitting society”, we discuss developments up to the year 2100. The countries of the world must agree on binding emission limitations. If this is to be attainable, the limitations must be designed so that they will not represent a development obstacle to any individual country. At the same time, the effects on international competition must be reasonable and acceptable to all concerned.
Curbing Climate Change (new window)
3C - Combat Climate Change – A business leader's initiative
We are launching a global initiative on the climate issue code-named 3C (Combat Climate Change), in which we demand that the climate issues be incorporated into the market and commerce world. The 3C initiative is aimed at creating a global group of companies that are willing to take the lead in demanding integration of the climate issues into the world market, and facilitate trading through a global framework that will come into force in 2013. Vattenfall is responsible for coordinating the initiative. Other companies are welcome to join.
3C - Combat Climate Change (new window)
The Vattenfall climate map
We have analysed the opportunities available for a global reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases up to 2030. We have concentrated on setting up concrete measures. The analysis covers the entire world economy. The results are striking, since they reveal great opportunities for achieving emission limitations in relation to the probable developments if no action were taken. No single technique or solution would be capable of dealing with the problem, although the sum of all the opportunities could make the necessary change attainable.
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