Morrigan
Crone of War
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2006
- Messages
- 8,262
This letter was written by a co-worker of mine, who gave me permission (in fact he explicitly encouraged me) to distribute and forward it at will. I thought it might be interesting to the JREF so I'm posting it here. If possible I'd like it to be featured on SWIFT but I'm not sure who I should be contacting for that?
I also offered him to translate in French -- as some of you might know I have a sort of fondness for translating though I am by no mean a professional -- and he was very grateful, so if anyone else wants to translate in another language, feel free to do so.
Anyway, here's the foreword he wrote in his email, followed by the actual letter itself. Warning, it's a big long, but I thought it was well-written and thoughtful. He does not cite sources, unfortunately (then again it's a letter, not a paper
), but he told me he spent a lot of time writing it and verifying facts and doing research. And the comment on vaccine made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
I also offered him to translate in French -- as some of you might know I have a sort of fondness for translating though I am by no mean a professional -- and he was very grateful, so if anyone else wants to translate in another language, feel free to do so.
Anyway, here's the foreword he wrote in his email, followed by the actual letter itself. Warning, it's a big long, but I thought it was well-written and thoughtful. He does not cite sources, unfortunately (then again it's a letter, not a paper
), but he told me he spent a lot of time writing it and verifying facts and doing research. And the comment on vaccine made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Hi,
For the longest time I have been watching the destruction of our home planet and I wanted to do something beyond just the usual things like recycling, taking public transport, shutting off taps and lights and reducing consumption.
For the last few months, I put together all the good ideas I could find, some mine and some borrowed, into a single letter of appeal that expresses all that I believe can be done before it is too late.
I have sent this letter to governments, agencies, charities, universities, research groups, NGOs, world bodies and individuals across the world. I wanted to share it with you and I hope it can make a difference in our world.
I plan to do much more in the future, I have the will; I seek the opportunities to present themselves, or I will create them myself.
Take care,
- Tarek
Tarek Ali
Laval, Quebec, Canada
Tarek.ali@gmail.com
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Dear Official,
I am a citizen of Canada and Bangladesh who actively participates in the democratic process. I follow politics very closely and I vote in all levels of elections. I would like to present here some thoughts and concepts to tackle the urgent crisis of global climate change. I urge you to consider all the different options and reasoning presented below and to undertake a significant commitment to a better future for your people, nation and the world at large, our Planet Home. I am sharing this letter with national and international organizations, with governmental and non governmental groups, with media and with environmental organizations.
The stakes
I spent my teenage years hearing about the ozone layer rupturing and horrific radiation pouring down on earth from tears in the upper atmosphere. Thankfully we reversed that danger by moving to a CFC free world. Then my environmental awareness was interspersed with strong visual images of oil drench sea birds. We mandated double hull tankers and improved navigational systems. But growing up, I did not realize that a new ever present danger was gathering momentum, the fundamental destabilization of the earth’s climate.
Now we have come full circle and clear changes are underway in global climate. The pace and nature of these changes is certainly debatable, but the change itself is now a commonly understood and accepted fact. None of the science is clear or universally accepted, none of the public opinions are solidified and aligned, and nevertheless something must be done.
What if the changes will be much worse than we dreamed? What if the effects will be much more terrible in the long run? In a world already rocked and hammered with economic, social, political and religious upheaval, can we afford to add a new component of climatic upheaval? Perhaps we can, but the effects of such destabilization would be far beyond our immediate control to reverse, this is why I write this letter to summarize all the possible ways we can take some preventive action today, to at the very least, hedge our bets. I greatly appreciate the attention and focus you have laid on the climate crisis, and I humbly hope this letter will be of some use in your efforts.
Copenhagen
I had watched the recent Copenhagen summit with some level of fear and hope, wishing against all odds that some miraculous agreement emerged that really made a difference in our immediate future. However I was alarmed as the talks descended into a struggle over money, who pays and who does not, and how much. Finger pointing and rhetoric was everywhere.
Sadly most developing nations saw this conference as a cash grab, with no plan in sight. Can these nations assure us without looking like hypocrites, that the money given will not go toward enriching corrupt rulers? Climate change actions should not be about money; they should be about concrete plans that translate into real change. Sadly with the state of the global economy and with growing civil unrest within nations and borders, as the mass unemployed begin to rise up, developing nations need to take care of their own problems. There will be no handouts, no favors. In the age of the nation state, every country should be able to create and harness the national will to seek solutions within without holding out the hand like beggars for help from outside.
I am not against financial, technological and other forms of aid passed to developing nations with no strings attached, but the notion that this is the fault of the developed world is nonsense. James Watt had no way of knowing his steam engine and its children would someday result in the melting of the ice caps and the breakdown of global weather patterns! Furthermore the very technologies that contributed to global warming are now freely used by these same developing nations to further their own agendas.
All nations and global organizations have a responsibility to pursue and recommend to others a unified strategy against climate change. Such a manifesto should be globally compatible across nations and should be easily adaptable to local conditions. I propose that we should focus policy directives and recommendations in the following areas.
Population growth
It is a difficult matter to face and address, but one of the core reasons the planet is being burdened to the point of ecological collapse is our rampant population growth. Right now we are about 6.8 billion projected to grow to 8.9 billion by 2050 and 9.4 billion by 2100; clearly the projected growth spurt will be a heavy burden for the planet.
It is a very difficult matter to control population growth. It is not really practical to expect people to aggressively pull back on their natural desire to have children. In a world facing increasing economic struggles and uncertainty, many people consider children a required investment for financial security. Massive educational programs and reorientation of thought are required to convince people that fewer children is the right choice, to give them a better future and to help preserve the planet in terms of reducing demand for production. However I remain skeptical that the innate human desire to procreate can be kept in check. We can only seek to contain the problem by more efficient utilization of existing resources.
Bangladesh, my motherland in threat
It has long been theorized that a large part of Bangladesh will go under water as sea levels rise, a threat also imminent on nations like the Maldives and other low lying areas. Only recently we have begun to see the threat materialize.
A long disputed island called New Moore / South Talpatti in the mouth of the Bay of Bengal has vanished under water. This land mass of 3km by 3km had a high point of 2 meters above sea level; it is now gone. The problem will only accelerate and get worse; urgent action is needed now and I address some of these ideas later in this letter.
The effects of a 1.5 m rise in sea levels for Bangladesh translates into a 15% impact on population and a 16% loss of land. The results will be catastrophic especially in the context of increased competition for land with increased population.
Scientific consensus / Scandals
There have been some significant scandals in climate science in the last few months. The credibility of science is shaken and hammered. Naturally there is disbelief of climate change based on these shameful events.
One must understand something clearly. Isolated incidents of scientific fraud do not alone merit wholesale dismissal of the entire scientific body. Andrew Wakefield led the world astray for years, leading everyone to believe that MMR vaccines led to autism. Many children and dead, and the parents that chose to believe this lie are now wracked with guilt in denying their children vaccines. The journal Lancet recently officially negated the fraudulent study.
Sensational reaction to an isolated incident in the face of a massive body of scientific consensus is not only immature but also very dangerous. The majority of scientists cannot be fraudsters, that is a ludicrous notion. We must give them due respect and credence, if they deserve our trust. These men and women are trying to save us from a future of calamity, we should think carefully before dismissing them, especially due to a few isolated bad apples in the bunch.
Scientific consensus is a serious matter. Scientists are careful people who are trained to be truthful, precise and honest. When the majority of the world’s climate scientists are united in their belief that a terrible future awaits us, the rest of us who do not understand these things should take heed. There is no evidence in human history to suggest that the majority of scientific consensus was motivated by malice and ill will to mankind.
Role of governments
In the age of corporate power where multinational firms hold sway and set global policy through proxy influence and lobbying, we risk losing control of our futures. So called Corporate Social Responsibility is an oxymoron in the time when profit trumps the general wellbeing of society and the world at large. There is a populist rage against government and the role of our political leaders, coupled with a strong sense of suspicion and nonchalance instilled in the general public.
Yet it is hard to demonstrate a raft of examples where corporations have actually played a pivotal role in the preservation of the natural world and the protection of the planet. The modern corporation seeks to exploit the universe and maximize shareholder value, and it is natural and normal for private industry to overlook environmental concerns. Therefore it is of paramount importance to come back to the traditional role of the government in maintaining balance and order.
Polls across the world indicate people want their political leaders to take the reins on environmental concerns. Voters are willing to look past the rhetoric and mistrust, the cynicism and vilification, to work in unison with their governments to further the cause of Earth’s preservation. Therefore we should seek this unique opportunity to bring each national government to the forefront of the debate and leadership. These concerns should be an agenda point for elections of all nations, and should be integrated into the manifestos of all parties, keeping in mind the need to balance against industry and progress.
Sustainable forestry / reforestation / biodiversity
We learn in elementary school that trees consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. We learn that trees sustain all living things and that their role cannot be overestimated. Why then is the planet being stripped of its most essential elemental life giving organism, the humble tree? Do we really believe that the vast dead zones of deforestation shall spring back to life suddenly?
I strongly feel that every single nation on this planet needs to start massive tree planting projects that seek to cover every possible square foot of ground with new trees. We need to recover our dead forests, and expand them. Centuries of CO2 emissions can most effectively be countered with nature’s natural defense, the simple tree. Such tree planting campaigns should be driven at the governmental level, but private corporations seeking green credentials should also take a lead. National and global programs to reforest the earth should be kicked off coordinated by a unified front of global organizations ranging from the UN to Greenpeace.
In nations where forestry continues in an unbalanced manner stripping the forests bare without replanting, shame and press exposure should force those responsible to begin massive replanting campaigns. For every tree cut, a dozen should be planted and nurtured and sustained to maturity. Forests should be patrolled and monitored carefully.
We are steeped in the fantasy that denuding the earth has no effect. This cannot go on. We are flaying the skin off the planet one acre at a time, and with it biodiversity, watersheds, and natural synergies. We are seeing the effects all around us; trees can save us; let us plant them by the millions.
In addition to our own self preservation instincts, preserving forests will reduce the rate of biodiversity destruction on the planet. We are losing species at an alarming rate and I know it is hard to find room to care when humans are themselves disposable, but the shame of future historians should make us realize we will be held accountable for all our deeds. There are untold treasures of biodiversity in forests that have evolved for thousands of years, but now as man is the master of the planet, we have chosen to destroy like no other species has ever managed to do.
Land reclamation
There is plenty of opportunity to increase the amount of land we can use especially as it vanishes into the rising ocean. Many nations have successfully filled in shores and other water bodies to reclaim land. Large scale land reclamation programs are especially important for low lying nations with little land to spare, such as my own nation of origin Bangladesh, and other nations like Maldives that shall disappear underwater.
There are many high landmasses in the earth that can be used to extract raw materials to counter the expected minimal 1 meter rise in sea levels. These should be exploited now while there is time. Whatever infrastructure is needed should be built, such as mines and railroads. The earth and rock can be transported to coastal regions and installed to bolster eroding shorelines and regain land. This danger will only increase as time goes by, therefore it is important to act now. For island nations at risk the land can be transported by ship. Land reclamation is not a dream or fantasy; it has been achieved with success many times in the past and it can be done again.
Sea walls / Levees
The oceans and seas are deceptively peaceful bodies of water. We underestimate their power time and time again. They are the cradle of life, but we disregard them. Now they are rising and with a vengeance will pound harder on our shores.
Sea wall technology has been in use for centuries and should be applied in force to counter the rising tides. National projects to protect against the increasingly violent ocean should be started. Not only will sea walls protect against further land erosion, but if built high and strong, will decrease the damage during storms and natural disasters. Sea walls are especially important around major coastal cities and around fragile delta regions where natural ecosystems will be shattered by rising oceans.
Complementing the sea walls are the well established technology of levees. The technology of levees is ancient, and the most recent successful application is in the Netherlands. Well maintained and engineered levees will certainly help maintain floods at bay from established, habited areas. However since we really do not know what the future holds, it is possible that in the very long term, levees will not keep the rising oceans at bay forever.
High yield crops
The global population will continue to increase; there is no way to hold this back. Last I checked, we had not started massive neutering campaigns and family planning had not suddenly become a global priority. Weather patterns are bringing increased droughts and as we now know, major rivers of the earth will start drying up as glaciers melt. This deadly combination will result in less farmland and resources like water and fertilizer. No wonder major global food corporations are annexing land in Africa to plant cash crops for future crisis markets.
Does the world realize the price of hunger? The masses can be kept sedated on entertainment, and can be tamed with strong arm police, but when their children starve, they will descend on the streets to kill. The first to die will be the rich, dragged from their houses. We saw an introduction to these riots during the last commodity price spike. Therefore it is time to coordinate resources to help the farmers of the earth produce enough locally to feed themselves. Not everyone can afford to buy from Monsanto.
The noble genius Norman Borlaug created a super wheat variety that avoided global starvation, and the resulting chaos and apocalypse. His work lives on in the crops of poor nations today, feeding the struggling masses. He remains an inspiration and we should seek to follow in his path. I encourage all nations to seriously pursue boosting agricultural output globally through responsible research, carefully considering the effects of genetic tampering and avoiding unnecessary risks. I urge all nations to freely share their technology with each other to create the next generations of ultra high yield crops that will feed the world, even with the cataclysmic climatic conditions that are soon to be a reality.
Industrial Carbon capture
It is ridiculous to expect mankind to reduce its industrial output with the vague hope that slowing down progress will undo the momentum of global environmental damage. We cannot reasonably expect sane nations to put down the mantle of modernization and development for the sake of saving the world, while the rest of the nations move forward on toward better futures. Therefore if there is a concerted effort to reign in emissions from factories and industries it must be undertaken at the source while production is underway.
Carbon capture technology today is very expensive and beyond the reach of most people. It is not unreasonable for industries to claim that installing capture phases will destroy their profitability and throw them out of business altogether. There should be a global concerted effort in R&D and investments to bring down the cost of carbon capture. Innovation at a global coordinated level is essential here.
It is not unreasonable to imagine a future where there are no more smokestacks belching poison into the clean sky. Rather every industrial plant should someday hope to be carbon neutral.
There is no reason why industrial scale design cannot be formulated from the ground up to be environmentally friendly. Amata Corporation [amata.com] from Thailand is consistently building gigantic industrial parks with strict adherence to industrial standards and protocols, including recycling of water supplies.
Public transport
The world wants and needs cars, and they are entitled to purchase them. China is now the world’s largest car market and will hold that position for the indefinite future. Millions of cars are added to the worlds fleets each year, as emerging markets seek the elusive status of widely established middle classes.
I am not against car ownership; I have a small vehicle that I use on shopping trips and excursions. However my daily commute is purely through public transport. I am very fortunate to live in Laval and work in old town Montreal, Quebec. The public systems here are world class and exemplary. However such systems require time and investment and governmental leadership. All nations should realize that mass public transport is one essential key to a cleaner planet and a healthier tomorrow.
Again people can and should buy cars, but wherever and whenever possible, public transport should be made easy, affordable, comfortable, accessible and compatible. People should not be at a point where the though of getting on a bus or train makes them shudder and cringe. Rather planning and investment should render these systems pleasurable to use, so that the masses take pride in their participation in a smarter, better mode of transport. The stodgy and boring image of public transport needs to be tackled.
Funding is always a perennial headache in upgrading and expanding public transport systems. Here innovative public private partnerships are essential. As a national collective, public transport should be made a top priority.
Gridlock resolution / Cash for clunkers
The world wants cars yes, but most of the time they sit in cars locked into traffic jams. Billions of tons of poison gas spill into the air from millions of idle car exhausts. If the traffic problems of the world could be solved, incredible amounts of emissions could be avoided. It is probably laughable to even suggest that traffic can be conquered, but there are innovative approaches we can consider.
Most of the traffic problems in major cities are due to poor planning and infrastructure. Here again massive investments and brilliant planning are needed to manage traffic. Hastily drawn up road networks, poorly policed and flow controlled, lead to wasteful, horrendous, debilitating gridlock. One can almost see the GDP of a nation fall as the vehicles are jammed up on roads and highways.
Another bold idea I wish to put forward is the idea of staggering commute times, enforceable by law and fines. Based on the category of vehicle, and the purpose of the travel, different classes of vehicles can be banned from roads at different times of peak traffic rush hours. This system is already in use in some congested cities where heavy trucks are forbidden completely except overnight. However I am speaking of expanding such restrictions to small cars as well, so that the rush hour can be managed in phases staggered over several hours. I know businesses will complain that they lose the core business hours, but the gain in productivity due to fewer traffic jams and lost time will more than make up for this.
I now hear of brilliant schemes in the Netherlands where GPS units installed by law on all vehicles will track the miles driven and a fee per mile is charged to all drivers. Preventing incentives for wasteful driving, and encouraging judicious use of roads by adding a price to driving, certainly makes sense. The resulting fees are rolled back into infrastructure improvements. GPS units with the fitted radio transmitters are not very expensive, and this system can be deployed easily in at least most rich nations.
At the same time we need to get old vehicles off the road. We must increase incentives to remove them and begin recycling their material. Programs like cash for clunkers not only have an economic benefit but overall an environmental bonus. However we must be careful to measure the overall cost of the program, including the sum total of the carbon offset in making a new replacement vehicle.
Carbon neutrality for corporations / Name and shame
Contrary to popular opinion, corporations do care about their reputation. The age of gigantic monopolies has passed us by, global multinationals now control vast trade routes. Some allege they control governments and world affairs; perhaps. But they are still vulnerable to the wrath of the common person.
Organized groups should make it a point to identify the most outrageous violations of environmental pollution standards and pursue them in full vigor in the court of public opinion. Naming and shaming in my opinion is quite acceptable to bring pressure on corporations to do the right thing, not the profitable thing. Traditional media plays a critical role in this, and established channels like TV, radio, papers and magazines should realize that the general public wants to see them step up and play a positive role. A lot of faith has been lost on traditional media in recent decades with scandals like the Iraq War and the financial fraud that drove the world into a deep lasting recession. A path to redemption for the media is to crusade to the cause of environmentalism.
New media has limitless possibilities. The power of Twitter and Facebook should be harnessed by organized groups to create targeted and focused campaigns directed at abusive corporations. These new channels are gaining increasing credibility as shapers of policy.
A clear reference point for corporations, and an attainable goal for them, is the term of carbon neutrality. Corporations can achieve this in many ways both internal and external, but above all the principle is to offset their omissions with actions that reduce or reverse emissions, such as investments in technology for carbon capture or in reforestation campaigns. Many major corporations such as Dell, Google and HSBC have already made firm commitments toward achieving this gold standard of environmental stewardship. Of course just stating the goal is different from measuring it and verifying it. Strong oversight, accountability and transparency is required. The concept of carbon neutrality can be extended beyond corporations to entire nations. Many nations from Denmark to Costa Rica have committed themselves in this manner.
Weatherproofing
A large part of the world’s power goes to domestic heating and cooling. We live in an age of advanced technology where modern materials can be affordably created for robust resistance to temperature transfer. Retrofitting existing homes with temperature change resistant materials should be a top priority of all nations. Significant magnitude of power savings can result from widespread application of insulation materials with long term benefit of reducing a nation’s power load and the resulting emissions for generation.
New construction should be mandated for maximum level of green ratings and insulation factors by law. With every new home or building raised, we lose an opportunity to reduce our power consumption in the future. Poor nations can benefit from such insulation technology as well, since simple but effective materials can make a huge difference in reducing temperature transfers.
The LEED standard should be adopted worldwide to set the benchmark in environmentally friendly building engineering and construction. Incentives for higher LEED ratings should be a national priority, and private enterprise can easily turn better ratings into a marketing advantage.
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Recycling seems to have gained incredible traction in our daily lives and is now part of our every day. In rich nations it is now politically incorrect to throw trash anywhere without sorting it, and peers will chide anyone who disregards this social norm. In poor nations entire classes of downtrodden sift through trash and recycle it for new products out of sheer economic necessity. However the current efforts at recycling could benefit from additional organization and vision.
Goods take energy to produce, which in turn drives emissions, however we don’t see a comprehensive industrial scale recycling scheme where products are driven back into the manufacturing processes deliberately. There are very few large scale firms that do this on a regular basis such as paper mills, but we need to see more of this in all industries from container ships to ball point pens. Naturally the key to this is better sorting processes, and for that a comprehensive social norm change is required coupled with widespread efforts in public and private sectors.
Gasification is an interesting new technology that promises to convert trash into energy with minimal emissions. However the capital costs are very high and one would hope over time widespread adoption could result. Inefficient gasification will not fulfill these objectives and there needs to be oversight.
Green Technology transfer
The so called green technology revolution promises environmental hope and salvation in the coming century, including economic benefits of new industries and jobs. However we are at infancy stages, since most people cannot even define what green tech means.
Under a comprehensive umbrella we know that green tech generally includes Recycling, Water Purification, Sewage Treatment, Environmental remediation, Solid Waste Management and Renewable Energy. Rapid advances are being made in these areas leading to all levels of environmental benefits. Rightly so, private industry is leading the way forward to profit driven investments and projects.
However the issue of saving the global environment is too important to relegate to simple capitalistic impulses. The collapse of national ecosystems across the globe will have knock on effects around the globe, leading inevitably to resource wars. What I propose is that a portion of green tech be made open domain and distributable through global channels like the UN, Green peace etc. In this manner, nations rich and poor can benefit from a shared pool of technology that they can reuse in their own countries for the mutual benefit of the world and the human race. This common data bank of green tech would be freely accessible to all countries and in the long run would help ensure a minimal standard of environmental best practice across the world.
Light bulb replacements / legislation
From space on the dark side of the earth it is pretty clear that our lighting is a massive consumer of power. According to a recent study by the International Energy Agency, efficiencies in lighting tech would reduce global power consumption by at least 10%. We are now at an age where mass produced Compact Fluorescent bulbs are very affordable and within reach of mass consumers, and this is a perfect complement to the already established fluorescent strip lights. Such new tech should be adopted widely and deployed across private and public sectors.
Some nations have gone as far as to ban the traditional incandescent light bulb and I strongly second this motion. The archaic invention dating back to 1800 MUST now be retired and relegated to the history books. This respectable technology lit up the world, but at efficiency rates of 5% conversion to light and the rest wasted as heat, it must be let to die off.
New expensive tech should be adopted further in rich nations, such as the new generations of LED based bulbs. But one must be careful not to romanticize expensive solutions for the sake of environmentalism. Above all else the solutions to lighting power consumption must be on a global, industrial, wide adoption scale.
Wind / solar energy costs
I have heard it claimed that the solar power of the Sahara and other deserts can power the entire world, but we are starting with Desertec that aims at 15% of European power by 2015. I have also heard that most homes in China have solar panels on their rooftops for use to heat water and other needs. If indeed China continues on its current trends of becoming the world’s leader in solar and wind tech, then at some point in the near future the cost of generating power from renewables will be LESS than that of traditional fossil fuels and nuclear solutions. Such a monumental cost and paradigm shift will enable for the first time in history the mass migration of power generation to renewables.
Naturally all nations need to prepare for this. Every single country on the planet has access to sun and wind, and if the cost of panels and turbines does indeed collapse over the next few decades, there is not adoption these solutions widespread. Imagine a world in which all homes have solar panels on rooftops that create hot water all day long for use and distribution all night long.
If we can lay massive amounts of optical fiber cable to connect the world and launch the Internet era, we can as a collective species build global electric grids connected to vast wind and solar farms in remote uninhabited areas. We simply need the willpower and organization. Hopefully in the near future the financial incentives will shift in our favor.
Glacier melting / reclamation
Recently climate science scandals revealed that an IPCC report claimed Himalayan glaciers would disappear by 2035, a claim later revealed to be a scientific hoax. I have already discussed the ramifications of such massive hoax in the overall context of scientific consensus. In this section I would rather focus on the fact that the rate of glacial melt is indeed an established trend, and the effects therein.
The Bolivian capital La Paz is rapidly running out of water. The Andean glaciers feeding this city are vanishing so fast that the country is considering moving people away from the capital city. Water conflicts have started and the massive need is quite evident in the use of sewage as a water supply by the poor. Over in the Asian Himalayas, gigantic river systems are in gradual threat from retreating glacier supplies. The pace of change and the imminent threat level is debatable, but the overall change is not.
There are methods under study for glacier reconstruction including trapping water in reservoirs, shaded such that they freeze rather than melt in the summer. However given the altitude and scale of the Herculean task, there is very little we can do in a cost effective manner to preserve and rebuild the high glaciers of the planet as they slowly vanish.
Ocean carbon traps / Whales
Oceans are the largest known carbon sinks or traps of the planet, with a tremendous potential to make a difference for the future. There are 2 mechanisms in play in the ocean’s role as a carbon sink – biological and physical.
The biological role is driven by the colossal amount of minute organisms that inhabit the ocean, feeding the entire food chain from tiny shrimp to the giant creatures that feed on them, the blue whales. However mankind’s blatant dumping of waste in the ocean is increasing the acidity levels thus directly affecting these pillars of the food chain. We must take action to reverse the environmental damage to the world’s oceans lest we lose this critical carbon trap. Research indicates that the ocean is no longer acting as an effective trap or sink for CO2 emissions.
An interesting side effect of melting glaciers is the emergence of new carbon traps in blooming phytoplankton where previously ice sheets prevented the sun’s rays from reaching the water. However this is only a side effect and not a solution. It is claimed in some research that adding iron to the water boosts the creation of organic photosynthesizing matter, however in my view before we dump any more human elements into the ocean we should be sure we know all our facts. Goodness knows we have caused enough damage.
Companies like the Ocean Nourishment Corporation (ONC) plan to dump tones of urea fertilizer in oceans to boost plankton growth. This is a laudable effort but once again I urge caution since all the long term side effects of this new man made action might not be known.
Along the same lines the giant mammals of the oceans, the whales, are credited as contributing to carbon sinking by introducing iron to the upper ocean layers from deeper waters. When whales die they sink to the ocean bottom further acting as a carbon sink. In fact the over fishing and whaling of the oceans has released megatonnes of carbon into the atmosphere, besides the inhuman consequence of decimating fish stock. It is estimated centuries of whaling have released over 100 million tones of carbon into the atmosphere. As a world we have still not learned restraint and focus in our fishing habits, especially given the imminent collapse of blue fin tuna stocks. However it is never too late to allow the oceans to repopulate and replenish, leading to the side effect of environmental stewardship.
Cattle grazing / Agriculture emissions
It is a little known fact that agriculture and animal husbandry are a major contributor to global CO2 emissions. Across the world mass farming of animals for meat and milk consumption lead to side effects of methane and other gasses being released to the atmosphere. Some estimates put the figure at 18% of total emissions from a developed nation, even exceeding the transportation sector which comes in at 13%.
Raising cattle is particularly heinous in the Amazon rainforest where it is 80% of the motivation for deforestation and clearing virgin rainforest. Sustainable and responsible cattle grazing is essential to our future, a path blazed by responsible ranchers like John Carter, originally from Texas, who encourages corporations to seek certification for responsibly raised cattle similar to methods used with fair trade coffees. In parallel, the FAO is driving initiatives to pay ranchers to plant more trees and shrubs in concert with their deforestation practices.
Prairie grassland conservation methods in use and promoted by Canada are a good example to follow. Proper grazing management can go a long way to ensure sustainable grasslands. Rotation of grazing, avoiding overgrazing and managing density of grazing are all methods to ensure sustainable vegetation.
Kamen water purifier
I was recently floored to learn of the latest invention from Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, medical devices and other technologies. His water purifier uses almost negligible energy, and transforms toxic waste water into pure potable water. The very idea of what he is about to accomplish is miraculous to consider.
The Australian city of Melbourne is effectively running out of water and is about to build a gigantic desalination plant. Across many nations, large investments are being made to produce more water, spending more energy and of course creating more emissions. The machine from Mr. Kamen if scaled up to industrial levels would use a tiny fraction of existing energy to produce the same of greater amounts of water. Certainly this technology is at the early stages but it has tremendous promise for the future.
I am also very heartened by the humanitarian aspect of the project and technology. Villages across my native land of Bangladesh are poisoned with ground level arsenic that seeps up and destroys the lives of the poor. I am so pleased to learn that Mr. Kamen is testing his device in 2 villages of Bangladesh, using a simple pit of cow manure as a power source! The promise for the poor of the world is staggering in scope!
Aviation
Aviation is undeniably a critical part of the modern interconnected world. In the name of climate we cannot expect to reduce the use of aircraft across the world. IPCC estimates put the impact at around 3.5% of global climate change emissions.
New plane technology is making even more valiant efforts to reduce emissions and fuel consumption, from composite materials to enhanced engine technology. However just like reduction of traffic gridlock can make a significant reduction in emissions, similar increases in efficiency of airline traffic control will make a great positive difference. Many nations have not upgraded their first generation traffic control systems, especially in older and busier airports. The time spent in taxi mode or in waiting circles in the sky are quite significant, besides the fact that passengers are absolutely fed up with the delays. Computerized traffic control systems with human oversight offer great promise for the future.
Alternative fuels are another important area to explore. There is a lot of research underway today and there is great hope for the future that we can avoid traditional kerosene and create aviation fuels from the power of the sun. However once again we must be careful not to artificially gain efficiency at the expense of other assets, like cleared forests to grow bio fuel crops.
Terminology
Some have questioned the term global warming as misleading especially since it implies temperatures are rising. In the context of record snowfalls in 2010 that are actually a by product of warming temperatures and greater moisture in the atmosphere, the credibility of global warming is sorely taxed. The word hoax is yelled from street to street, as ignorance prevails. The issue of cognition is essential for any debate.
Assuredly the language and terminology of the debate is a key factor. One of the better terms I recently embraced is ‘global weirding’ from Thomas Friedman. Since people seem fixated on temperatures which change very slowly and which have cataclysmic long term effects, then the debate should shift to changing weather patterns which are far more tangible. From the vanishing fog that feeds the California Redwood forests to the shifting rain patterns that now dry out Melbourne, there are clear enduring evidences of long term global weirding.
Another term that is a little more alarmist but still relevant is ‘global crisis’ from George Lakoff who lays emphasis on emphasizing the change aspect of the climactic shifts. However I am concerned that alarmist talk might be self defeating. The impacts of climactic shifts are self evident as crises across the globe as water supplies dry up in one region and others are deluged.
350
In a digitized world where numbers and precision matter, it is often frustrating not to have a destination or target in mind. Enter the organization 350.org. In sum and substance, the current level of CO2 in the atmosphere is 390 ppm or parts per million. Scientific consensus indicates the ‘safe’ level for climate equilibrium is 350 ppm. The last time we were in the ‘safe’ level was 1988, so imagine how fast the situation has degraded in the last few decades. We finally have a stated goal. We finally see a target we can measure. Let us move forward as the human race collectively to save ourselves and our home planet.
Thanks and best regards,
Tarek Ali
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