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Leapfrogging to Lower Emissions

KEEPING UP WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY CAN BE A HASSLE, BUT THE RAPID PACE OF CHANGE CAN ALSO PRESENT OPPORTUNITIES, AS YOU’LL HEAR ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

NEW TECHNOLOGY ENTERS THE MARKET ALL THE TIME IN THE U-S, BUT IT OFTEN TAKES LONGER TO REACH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. SO IN SOME AREAS, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO BYPASS THE SMALL AND ENVIRONMENTALLY COSTLY STEPS THAT TECHNOLOGY GROWTH USUALLY TAKES AND ADOPT NEW TECHNOLOGY FROM THE GET-GO.

THE CONCEPT IS CALLED LEAPFROGGING AND IT COULD HAVE HUGE IMPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATING CLIMATE CHANGE - ESPECIALLY IF DEVELOPING NATIONS WITH HIGH POPULATION GROWTH CAN BE ENCOURAGED TO IMPLEMENT NEW LOW-EMISSIONS TECHNOLOGIES.

BUT NEW INFRASTRUCTURE CAN BE EXPENSIVE, SO BOB ENGELMAN OF THE WASHINGTON-BASED WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE SAYS INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IS NEEDED.

ENGELMAN: IN THE CASE OF ENERGY SUPPLY, IT REALLY IS A MATTER OF GOVERNMENTS NEEDING TO GET INVOLVED.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

Read more about some of the challenges to leapfrogging in energy technologies.