An interview with Professor Christian Azar of the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden on the subject of the Kyoto treaty is presented. Azar argues that as approximately 25% of all energy goes into the transport sector and that since vehicles require a high fuel quality, that it might be better to optimise other sectors with simpler demands. There are demands for alternative fuels to allow the transport sector to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases, but Azar suggests that these are expensive and a distraction. The problems involved in implementing taxes on energy are considered. The strategy that Azar recommends is to phase out oil from industrial and residential use, to develop fuel cells for automotive use, to develop methods for the efficient production of hydrogen from non-fossil sources and to develop techniques for the storage of liquid hydrogen.
Abstract