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Page 54
per residence) with compact fluorescent lights. Another option
calls for improving on-road fuel economy to 25 miles per gallon
(32.5 mpg in Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) terms) in light
vehicles by implementing existing technologies that would not
require changes in size or attributes of vehicles. Each option is
also evaluated in terms of an optimistic "upper-bound" (100 percent
achievement) or a pessimistic "lower-bound" (25 percent) level of
implementation. A brief description of the mitigation options
considered in this study is found in Table 6.1.
The third factor is the interconnectedness of the option to
other issues in addition to greenhouse warming, for example,
destruction of the ozone layer or biological extinction. These
additional factors, however, were considered only in a qualitative
manner and are part of the reason that recommendations are not
based solely on the cost-effectiveness calculations developed in
this study.
Table 6.2 shows selected mitigation options in order of
cost-effectiveness. Some options, primarily in energy efficiency
and conservation, have substantial potential to mitigate greenhouse
warming with net savings or very low net cost. However, they have
not been fully adopted because of various implementation
obstacles.
Net savings does not mean that no expenditure is required to
implement these options. Rather, it indicates that the total
discounted cost of the option over the period of analysis is less
than its discounted direct benefit, usually reduction in energy
consumption, where the discount rate is 6 percent. At higher
discount rates the relative cost would rise. These are options that
ought to be, and probably will be, implemented, since they are in
the interests of those who implement them. The decisions to start,
however, can be hastened through better information and
incentives.
Table 6.2 also includes some options that are more costly, face
substantial obstacles to their implementation, or have other costs
or benefits that are difficult to characterize. For example,
reduction of CFC consumption is also beneficial in reducing
stratospheric ozone depletion, and the combined benefit derived for
greenhouse warming and ozone depletion would raise CFC control
options in the ranking of preferred actions. Questions about the
appropriateness of current technologies and public opposition to
nuclear power, however, currently make this option difficult to
implement. To the extent that concern about greenhouse warming
replaces concern about nuclear energy and "inherently safe" nuclear
plants are developed, this option increases its priority
ranking.
Table 6.3 presents what the panel calls geoengineering options.
The geoengineering options in this preliminary analysis include
several ways of reducing temperature increases by screening
sunlight (e.g., space mirrors, stratospheric dust, multiple
balloons, stratospheric soot, and stimulating cloud condensation
nuclei) as well as stimulation of ocean uptake of CO2. Several