BERKELEY, Calif., May 24 (UPI) -- California can reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 largely through existing technologies, a report says.
The reduction is possible even as California's population is expected to surge from 37 million to 55 million and the demand for energy is expected to double in the next 40 years, a report released Tuesday by the California Council on Science and Technology indicated.
California can meet its ambitious emissions targets using a combination of measures and energy sources including electrification, enhanced efficiency, nuclear energy, renewable energy sources, grid modernization, and carbon capture and sequestration, it said.
The first 60 percent of the reduction goal can be achieved with currently available technology, the report said.
"California can achieve emissions roughly 60 percent below 1990 levels with technology we largely know about today if such technology is rapidly deployed at rates that are aggressive but feasible," the report indicated.
The remaining 20 percent reduction will require advancements in several technologies still in development, such as artificial photosynthesis, fusion energy, more efficient and sustainable biofuels, hydrogen fuel, and advanced batteries for both vehicles and grid storage, the report's authors said.
