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| "Harmful" Energy |
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The majority of world energy is currently derived from fossil fuels or hydrocarbons (oil, coal and natural gas).
These products originated from changes experienced in the great forests that were buried millions of years ago. Given their nature, these resources are destined to be exhausted more rapidly the more they are used in coming years.
Much of atmospheric pollution is caused by the use of fossil fuels; 80% of CO2 emissions come from the combustion of oil, natural gas and coal, the main culprits of the greenhouse effect and consequent global warming. In order to stem the problem that could have devastating consequences for mankind, the international community united in a treaty named the Kyoto protocol.
The Kyoto protocol The Kyoto protocol is an international treaty on the environment in relation to global warming, signed by more than 160 countries in the Japanese city of Kyoto on 11 December 1997 during the COP3 Conference of the United Nations framework Convention on climate change (UNFCCC). It deals with energy industry issues, ranging from industrial processes and agriculture to refuse, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, in particular the six greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocompounds (PFC) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). The Protocol also puts forward certain measures that indicate how to interpret the objectives in practice and in particular, the enactment of national policies for reducing emissions; improvements in energy efficiency; the promotion of sustainable forms of agriculture; the development and promotion of renewable energy sources and co-operation in the form of exchanges of information and experience. |
