Green energy bill balanced by lives saved from smog

• Autores: Michael Marshall
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 2936, 2013, pág. 11
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • New work suggests that 1.3 million early deaths could be avoided every year by 2050. From estimates of how much society values a human life, Jason West at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and colleagues deduce that alternative energy supplies should be worth the cost. The conclusion offers a strong incentive to countries to cut back on fossil fuels as soon as possible. It also lends support to the US Environmental Protection Agency, which last week proposed a limit on carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired and gas-fired power plants. As well as releasing greenhouse gases that warm the planet, burning fossil fuels gives off large quantities of polluting chemicals. These can build up into dense choking smogs, like the one that smothered Beijing in January.