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1
1
Introduction
Abstract
The 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, supported by the major countries of the world, sets a global path towards many outcomes. Reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality are two important goals
that have strong support from many people. The efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions address a global climate challenge and will also help
to improve air quality overall and particularly in local urban communities.
Additionally, there are huge economic benefits associated with these goals,
exceeding $3 trillion/year. Several transitions to reach these goals have
already started, including increases in wind and solar energy generation and
improved storage technologies. This new path includes a number of complex
challenges, though, in terms of managing the interactions of electricity generation, the smart grid, energy storage (e.g. in electric vehicles), peak power
management, air quality, and health. This book addresses a number of these
complex challenges, outlining how they can be dealt with in ways that help
to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
1.1 Introduction
No one likes to walk an unfamiliar path in the dark. The purpose of this
book is to shed some light on the still dimly lit path we need to take with
regard to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving global air
quality. Why do we need to take this new path? Why not continue down
the path we are on now? Briefly, the path we are on now – relying on fossilbased fuels (oil, gas, and coal) – is clearly and increasingly a very wrong
path. The fossil fuels path will inevitably be a dead end because it rests on
non- renewable resources; we will someday run out of oil, then gas, then coal
to extract. In the meantime, reliance on oil (e.g. from the Middle East) and gas
(e.g. from Russia) continues to create political conflicts and entanglements
for many countries. And all the while these fuels generate massive amounts
of pollution as they are extracted, refined, and then burned. Finally, these
1
1
Introduction
Abstract
The 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, supported by the major countries of the world, sets a global path towards many outcomes. Reducing
greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality are two important goals
that have strong support from many people. The efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions address a global climate challenge and will also help
to improve air quality overall and particularly in local urban communities.
Additionally, there are huge economic benefits associated with these goals,
exceeding $3 trillion/year. Several transitions to reach these goals have
already started, including increases in wind and solar energy generation and
improved storage technologies. This new path includes a number of complex
challenges, though, in terms of managing the interactions of electricity generation, the smart grid, energy storage (e.g. in electric vehicles), peak power
management, air quality, and health. This book addresses a number of these
complex challenges, outlining how they can be dealt with in ways that help
to advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
1.1 Introduction
No one likes to walk an unfamiliar path in the dark. The purpose of this
book is to shed some light on the still dimly lit path we need to take with
regard to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving global air
quality. Why do we need to take this new path? Why not continue down
the path we are on now? Briefly, the path we are on now – relying on fossilbased fuels (oil, gas, and coal) – is clearly and increasingly a very wrong
path. The fossil fuels path will inevitably be a dead end because it rests on
non- renewable resources; we will someday run out of oil, then gas, then coal
to extract. In the meantime, reliance on oil (e.g. from the Middle East) and gas
(e.g. from Russia) continues to create political conflicts and entanglements
for many countries. And all the while these fuels generate massive amounts
of pollution as they are extracted, refined, and then burned. Finally, these