German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose turn it was to host the annual gathering, pressed for a commitment to “decarbonize” the global economy — that is, to eliminate most carbon dioxide emissions from burning oil, gas and coal.
Burning fossil fuels produces carbon dioxide, which traps the sun’s heat and warms the atmosphere.
The leaders agreed to press for a reduction, by 2050, of 40 to 70 percent in the 2010 global emission levels of the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.
The word “decarbonization” is used to mean the replacement of carbon-based fossil fuels by alternative sources such as wind and solar power.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle
