POWER to the People: Integrated Resource Planning in Developing Countries

摘要

Increased burning of fossil fuels to meet the growing demand for electricity throughout the world could create havoc for our climate. Many argue that greenhouse gas emissions (primarily carbon dioxide) from producing electricity using fossil fuels contribute significantly to global warming. Over the past two decades, carbon emissions grew fastest in developing countries such as China, Brazil, South Korea, and India, primarily because of high growth rates in electricity production. From 1970 to the present, for example, carbon emissions increased by only 30% in the developed countries, while increasing by 80% in developing countries. Scientists believe that using combinations of resources different from those used in the past to produce electricity—and integrating them in a cost-effective way—could ease the health, economic, and environmental effects of increased worldwide demand for electricity services.