Switching to other fuels isn’t the only way to reduce CO2 emissions. The New York Times reported May 11 that China’s adoption of high-tech coal-fired generating plants increases their efficiency in extracting energy from coal by 18% to 39%, allowing them to generate that much more electricity from the same amount of coal without raising CO2 emissions.

With alternative fuel technologies still having a tough time competing with fossil fuels on price, such technologies may be a more promising way of addressing fears of global warming--whether the fears are justified or not.