Strategic Panorama 2009 - 2010 - IEEE

Climate change and its security implications
The IPCC-4AR specifies the meaning of the terms «adaptation» and
«mitigation» in the context of the study on climate change. Adaptation
refers to the set of initiatives and measures designed to reduce the vulnerability
of natural and human systems to the real or expected effects
of a climate change. Some examples of adaptation are the construction
of river or coastal dams, the replacement of plants sensitive to thermal
shock by more resilient species, and improvement of building standards
to reduce potential losses derived from natural disasters. These are simple
government-level activities that can be of considerable help in the future.
Mitigation refers to the implementation of policies aimed at reducing greenhouse
gas emissions and enhancing greenhouse gas sinks through the
adoption of measures to change and replace technologies.
The measures adopted so far to enhance efficiency and energy saving,
and to increase the use of renewable energies and the use of fossil fuels
with lower CO2 emissions are insufficient in themselves to reduce emissions.
The long-term operation of existing nuclear plants is an initial solution
to the necessary construction of new power plants in order to solve
the current and future problem of the reduction of pollutant emissions.
All forms of energy are currently necessary to sustainable development.
A balanced energy policy must use a mix of energy sources that meets
increased demand and utilises non-greenhouse-gas sources such as
nuclear energy.
The feasibility of using renewable energies to supply a significant percentage
of world energy needs depends, as stated earlier, on the chosen
technologies, the availability of the necessary raw materials and economic
and political factors. It should be pointed out in this connection that the
achievement of this feasibility would require, at the least, abolishing certain
existing subsidies for the exploitation and extraction of fossil resources,
and correcting misguided policies promoting energy resources that
are less desirable than energies that do not generate greenhouse gases.
Such is the case of current policies in various countries which subsidise,
for example, coal extraction or promote the cultivation and production of
bio fuels.
Bearing in mind that fossil fuels—coal, oil and gas—will continue to
be decisive for energy generation during the first half of this century in
both Europe and the rest of the world, new technologies that reduce the
greenhouse gas emissions produced by fossil sources are required. This
need is all the more pressing if we realise that the world energy demand
will double between now and 2050 if expectations are met. Fossil fuel
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