Dark Commentary by Gwynne Dyer on Failure of US to Act on Climate Change Legislation
On the most optimistic timetable, there might be US climate legislation in 2013, and a global climate deal in 2014, and we really start reducing emissions by 2015. By then, we would need to be cutting emissions by 5 or 6 percent a year, instead of growing them at 3 percent a year, if we still want to come in under +2 degrees C.
Must We Hack Our Planet’s Atmosphere?
The failure of recent efforts to curb greenhouse-gas emissions has built some momentum toward expanding research on geoengineering options. Although everything possible must be done to shift to a sustainable and energy-efficient economy – along with changing to simple life-styles and putting a cap on the world’s population – all this will not be enough to eliminate the danger of runaway climate change.
Somehow, we have to find a safe way to remove the huge amount of excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. To analogize, diet and medicine alone won’t cure our planet; surgery will also be required. Too much CO2 in our atmosphere not only contributes to global heating, sea-level rise, more severe storms and desertification; it has also caused a 30% increase in ocean acidification, and this too threatens the life of everything on Earth.
Cleaning Up the Excess CO2
The other way to reduce the air’s excess CO2 is to unbalance the carbon cycle, typically by preventing some of the CO2 captured by photosynthesis from going back into the air when cells decompose. One has to stash dead biomass where the air can’t get to it. While sealed landfills help, it is only the ocean depths that would appear to have the capacity to draw down all of the CO2 that we have added since 1750.
Too Stupid to Take Action on Climate Change? It’s Time to Get Smart and Get Started
In addition to reducing greehouse gas emissions to zero as quickly as possible and developling more carbon sinks, such as planting a many trees as possible, we must concurrently begin research and development of ways to artificially remove carbon from our atmosphere. The excess carbon we have to rid our planet of is the equivalent of the mass of over four Mount Rainiers.
Increased Interest in ‘Artificial Trees’ for Removal of Carbon from Atmosphere
Many climate scientists calculate that the world has only a few decades to reduce emissions before there is so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that a dangerous rise in global temperature is inevitable. The authors of this report say that geo-engineering of the type they propose should be used on a short-term basis to buy the world time, but in the long term it is vital to reduce emissions.
William H. Calvin: Putting the CO₂ Genie Back in the Bottle
This presentation by Dr. Calvin was made at the University of Victoria BC on June 18th. The event was sponsored by the BC Chapter of the Sierra Club of Canada.
Dr. Calvin is introduced by Dr. Colin Campbell, Science Advisor to the Sierra Club of BC.
At the end of the five minute introduction, click on the [...]
Dr. William H. Calvin to Speak at the University of Victoria
Dr. William Calvin, who is widely known for his books on human evolution and climate change, will give a presentation hosted by Sierra Club of British Columbia and the University of Victoria on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 7PM UVic, in the Bob Wright Earth, Ocean, and Atmosphere Sciences Building.
Very Best Strategies Crucial For Generating Enough Green Energy
Our Energy Needs: Getting From Here To There
by Ray Grigg
May 24, 2009
Our options for solving the growing energy dilemma confronting modern civilization seem to fall into two basic categories: we already have the clean technology to meet our energy needs if we just had the political will to utilize them; and we don’t yet have [...]
To Treat Climate Change Ills, Carbon Removal and GHG Emissions Reduction Must Be Big and Quick
Not only must carbon removal be big enough but it and emissions reduction must together be fast enough to remove us from the danger zones for abrupt climate shifts before something big happens. A serious jolt would cause catastrophic crop failures and food riots within a year, creating global waves of climate refugees with the attendant famine, pestilence, war, and genocide.
I’d say that we must clean up CO2 by 2030. Acquiescing in a slower approach is like playing Russian roulette with the climate gun. Our climate fix must be big and quick.
Global Warming May Necessitate Carbon Dioxide Scrubbers
Advocates say that while large-scale air capture projects might be a long time away, their economics aren’t as bad as everyone assumes. Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist who studies energy and climate policy at the University of Colorado, conducted a recent study that found that stabilizing greenhouse gas concentrations with air capture using today’s technologies could about equal the costs projected by the IPCC of other ways to deal with warming.
