Sustainability Notes nº3: The Search for Alternatives to Fossil Fuels

Download it here

Greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide (CO₂), are the main culprits of climate change. This is what the international scientific community affirms. The burning of fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas or coal, which supply around 80% of the world’s energy, releases tons of these harmful gases. According to UN figures, fossil fuels are responsible for more than 75% of total emissions. Governments and companies around the world are strengthening their efforts to find ways to reduce them and science is a key tool to achieve this.

One of the solutions that has gained most prominence in recent years is renewable energies such as solar, wind and hydro. But will they be able to generate enough energy to meet global demand? It’s not clear. Thus, the need for further research into other alternatives.

In this third edition of OpenMind’s Sustainability Notes, The Search for Alternatives to Fossil Fuels, we take a closer look at some of these alternatives that are being developed, with the help of experts such as Javier García, President of IUPAC, Ignacio Mártil de la Plaza, Professor of Electronics at the Complutense University of Madrid, Carlos Vázquez, PhD Researcher at Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), Isabel García Cortés, Researcher at CIEMAT and Marta Muñoz Hernández, Professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University.