Hello there. I have a question.
According to the World Energy Assessment, the accelerated replacement of oil and other fossil fuels with hydrogen could help achieve ‘deep reductions’ in carbon emissions and avoid the doubling of pre-industrial CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere: a level at which scientists expect major and potentially irreversible ecological and economic disruptions, such as sea level rising, coastal flooding, extreme weather events and loss of both biodiversity and agricultural productivity.
In the above sentence, can we say that the coordinative conjunction and connects the two bare infinitive phrases "achieve 'deep reductions' in carbon emissions" and "avoid the doubling of pre-industrial CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere"? I mean, is it correct to read this part like this? --
..., the accelerated replacement of oil and other fossil fuels with hydrogen could help achieve 'deep reductions' in carbon emissions
and
it (=the accelerated replacement of oil and other fossil fuels with hydrogen) could help avoid the doubling of pre-industrial CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere
It is ambiguous whether "avoid" is intended to be governed by "help", or whether it is just governed by "could".
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It is ambiguous whether "avoid" is intended to be governed by "help", or whether it is just governed by "could".