SolutionS for climate change

If people ask me now, do you believe in Malthusianism, well, I still don’t. There are many who don’t believe that future technology is going save us from current crisis in time. They argue that what we face today is something much more fundamental than previous threats. The available energy is simply going to run out and the climate change will ultimately kill us all. I only agree with one thing: we may loose the world as we know it, and it takes a change of paradigm to reach salvation.
There are a lot of cute new technologies that are quite exciting: paper thing solar battery, bamboo PC, paper CD and so on. Plus we have CDM and JI plans which created a market for CER/ERU of more than $30 billion in 2006, up 177% from 2005. Small progresses are here and there, but even giving Al Gore a Nobel Prize is not doing much good to the environment. What are we missing? Moreover, the Chinese government was and will continue to invest billions of dollars, trying to reach its own energy and environment targets, and yet, they failed miserably so far. What are they missing?
The answer perhaps lies in the recent article “10 Solutions for Climate Change” by David Biello in the Scientific American.
These solutions are: Forego Fossil Fuels, Infrastructure Upgrade, Move Closer to Work, Consume Less, Be Efficient, Eat Smart, Go Vegetarian? Stop Cutting Down Trees, Unplug, One Child, Future Fuels, and Experiment Earth.
Notice there is no specific emphasis on renewable energy or new technology; rather it is a comprehensive “Bucket List” for us to do before we die. It also implies how “total social engineering” may accomplish what single solution cannot. In deed, what we really need is an alternative platform for human progress, which can lead us to the change of mind, heart and behavior. One Zhuhai based energy saving company explains how it grows from a $20,000 business to $20 million business and says that “we are not depend upon expensive foreign technologies to save energy, instead we combine cheap, effective technology, comprehensive evaluation and reorganization, and retraining of employees to attain a much better result.” They are selling a concept, just like the David Biello solution.
So, I believe when the challenge comes, we will prevail. But in case not, hear the last resort proposed by Mr. Biello:
“If all else fails, it may not be the last. So-called geoengineering, radical interventions to either block sunlight or reduce greenhouse gases, is a potential last resort for addressing the challenge of climate change. Among the ideas: releasing sulfate particles in the air to mimic the cooling effects of a massive volcanic eruption; placing millions of small mirrors or lenses in space to deflect sunlight; covering portions of the planet with reflective films to bounce sunlight back into space; fertilizing the oceans with iron or other nutrients to enable plankton to absorb more carbon; and increasing cloud cover or the reflectivity of clouds that already form.”

Hurrah, any further questions?