Changing our ways: Conservation must accompany technology

There is no easy answer to the growing threat from global warming. As long as we continue to use fossil fuels as if there were no tomorrow, the Earth's climate will grow warmer, and humans will face more drought, more severe weather, shrinking coastal shorelines and animal-species extinction. That's why we greet with guarded enthusiasm the U.S. Department of Energy's plans to test technology that could store greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants deep in the Earth. We cheer the possibility that less carbon dioxide may be spewed into the atmosphere, but we are concerned that merely the promise of a magic energy bullet may be misinterpreted as negating the need for conservation. And that could offset some of the potential gains from burying a portion of the CO2 that we create. That said, Utah's involvement in the project is apt to be good for the state in several ways. It is a product of the new Utah Research, Science and Technology initiative, a bold venture funded by the Legislature and private investors to create commercial applications for technologies developed at Utah State University and the University of Utah. USTAR's role will boost Utah's image in the technology arena and energy industry, encouraging other innovations such as coal gasification. A $67 million test of the process, called "carbon sequestration," will be conducted in an area called Farnham.
Since coal is an energy source still in abundance, and an economic driver in Utah, it's unlikely that coal-fired power plants will go away any time soon, although they are one of the worst sources of greenhouse gas emissions. As Utah and the rest of the nation wisely move toward alternative-energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal power, carbon sequestration could lessen the impact of those emissions on the climate. Along with new technology, however, conservation must play a major role in mitigating the effects of human-caused climate change. Stricter limits on automobile emissions, including light trucks and SUVs, are needed. Individuals as well as commercial users must cut their power usage and reliance on gas-guzzlers. Technology is a wonderful thing, but it can't make up for excessive consumption.
Source: sltrib.com