Systems Biology Image Gallery

Title :

Another Possible Energy-Consumption Scenario

Description :

This figure shows another possible energy-consumption scenario in which a global commitment has been made to stabilize long-term atmospheric CO₂ concentration at 550 ppmv (about double the preindustrial level of 280 ppmv); the current level is around 380 ppmv.* Placing limits on CO₂ emissions provides an incentive for developing noncarbon-emitting energy technologies and reducing energy consumption through conservation and improvements in energy efficiency. Over the century, increased biofuel consumption combined with reductions in energy use would displace hundreds of exajoules of fossil-fuel energy, and by 2100 biofuels would equal roughly all fossil-fuel usage today (coal + oil + natural gas). By decreasing fossil-fuel use in the stabilization case, hundreds of gigatons of CO₂ emissions would be avoided.

*The case of 550 ppmv was chosen to illustrate the types of changes that might occur; currently, no scientific basis exists for preferring any particular CO₂ concentration.

Citation :

Genomics:GTL Roadmap, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, August 2005, http://genomicscience.energy.gov/roadmap/

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Image Use and Credits
Almost all the images on these pages are original graphics created by the U.S. Department of Energy Genome Program's Genome Management Information System (GMIS). You will recognize GMIS images by their credit line. Permission to use these graphics is not needed, but please credit the U.S. Department of Energy Genome Programs and provide the website http://genomics.energy.gov. All other images were provided by third parties and not created by the U.S. Department of Energy. You must contact the person listed in the credit line before using those images.