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10 Solutions for Climate Change

Ten possibilities for staving o catastrophic climate change
By David Biello on November 26, 2007

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Credit: NASA

Theenormityofglobalwarmingcanbedauntinganddispiriting.Whatcanone
person,orevenonenation,doontheirowntoslowandreverseclimate
change?ButjustasecologistStephenPacalaandphysicistRobertSocolow,

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bothatPrincetonUniversity,cameupwith15socalled"wedges"fornationsto
utilizetowardthisgoaleachofwhichischallengingbutfeasibleand,insome
combination,couldreducegreenhousegasemissionstosaferlevelsthereare
personallifestylechangesthatyoucanmaketoothat,insomecombination,can
helpreduceyourcarbonimpact.Notallarerightforeverybody.Someyoumay
alreadybedoingorabsolutelyabhor.Butimplementingjustafewofthem
couldmakeadifference.

ForegoFossilFuelsThefirstchallengeiseliminatingtheburningofcoal,
oiland,eventually,naturalgas.Thisisperhapsthemostdauntingchallengeas
denizensofrichernationsliterallyeat,wear,work,playandevensleeponthe
productsmadefromsuchfossilizedsunshine.Andcitizensofdeveloping
nationswantandarguablydeservethesamecomforts,whicharelargelythanks
totheenergystoredinsuchfuels.

Oilisthelubricantoftheglobaleconomy,hiddeninsidesuchubiquitousitems
asplasticandcorn,andfundamentaltothetransportationofbothconsumers
andgoods.Coalisthesubstrate,supplyingroughlyhalfoftheelectricityusedin
theU.S.andnearlythatmuchworldwideapercentagethatislikelytogrow,
accordingtotheInternationalEnergyAgency.Therearenoperfectsolutions
forreducingdependenceonfossilfuels(forexample,carbonneutralbiofuels
candriveupthepriceoffoodandleadtoforestdestruction,andwhilenuclear
powerdoesnotemitgreenhousegases,itdoesproduceradioactivewaste),but
everybitcounts.

Sotrytoemployalternativeswhenpossibleplantderivedplastics,biodiesel,
windpowerandtoinvestinthechange,beitbydivestingfromoilstocksor
investingincompaniespracticingcarboncaptureandstorage.

InfrastructureUpgradeBuildingsworldwidecontributearoundonethird
ofallgreenhousegasemissions(43percentintheU.S.alone),eventhough
investinginthickerinsulationandothercosteffective,temperatureregulating

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stepscansavemoneyinthelongrun.Electricgridsareatcapacityor
overloaded,butpowerdemandscontinuetorise.Andbadroadscanlowerthe
fueleconomyofeventhemostefficientvehicle.Investinginnewinfrastructure,
orradicallyupgradingexistinghighwaysandtransmissionlines,wouldhelpcut
greenhousegasemissionsanddriveeconomicgrowthindevelopingcountries.

Ofcourse,ittakesalotofcement,amajorsourceofgreenhousegasemissions,
toconstructnewbuildingsandroads.TheU.S.alonecontributed50.7million
metrictonsofcarbondioxidetotheatmospherein2005fromcement
production,whichrequiresheatinglimestoneandotheringredientsto1,450
degreesCelsius(2,642degreesFahrenheit).Miningcopperandotherelements
neededforelectricalwiringandtransmissionalsocausesglobewarming
pollution.

Butenergyefficientbuildingsandimprovedcementmakingprocesses(suchas
usingalternativefuelstofireupthekiln)couldreducegreenhousegas
emissionsinthedevelopedworldandpreventtheminthedevelopingworld.

MoveClosertoWorkTransportationisthesecondleadingsourceof
greenhousegasemissionsintheU.S.(burningasinglegallonofgasoline
produces20poundsofCO2).Butitdoesn'thavetobethatway.

Onewaytodramaticallycurtailtransportationfuelneedsistomovecloserto
work,usemasstransit,orswitchtowalking,cyclingorsomeothermodeof
transportthatdoesnotrequireanythingotherthanhumanenergy.Thereis
alsotheoptionofworkingfromhomeandtelecommutingseveraldaysaweek.

Cuttingdownonlongdistancetravelwouldalsohelp,mostnotablyairplane
flights,whichareoneofthefastestgrowingsourcesofgreenhousegas
emissionsandasourcethatarguablyreleasessuchemissionsintheworst
possiblespot(higherintheatmosphere).Flightsarealsooneofthefewsources

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ofglobewarmingpollutionforwhichthereisn'talreadyaviablealternative:
jetsrelyonkerosene,becauseitpacksthemostenergyperpound,allowing
themtotravelfarandfast,yetittakesroughly10gallonsofoiltomakeone
gallonofJetAfuel.Restrictingflyingtoonlycritical,longdistancetripsin
manypartsoftheworld,trainscanreplaceplanesforshorttomedium
distancetripswouldhelpcurbairplaneemissions.

ConsumeLessTheeasiestwaytocutbackongreenhousegasemissionsis
simplytobuylessstuff.Whetherbyforgoinganautomobileoremployinga
reusablegrocerysack,cuttingbackonconsumptionresultsinfewerfossilfuels
beingburnedtoextract,produceandshipproductsaroundtheglobe.

Thinkgreenwhenmakingpurchases.Forinstance,ifyouareinthemarketfor
anewcar,buyonethatwilllastthelongestandhavetheleastimpactonthe
environment.Thus,ausedvehiclewithahybridengineofferssuperiorfuel
efficiencyoverthelonghaulwhilesavingtheenvironmentalimpactofnewcar
manufacture.

Paradoxically,whenpurchasingessentials,suchasgroceries,buyinginbulkcan
reducetheamountofpackagingplasticwrapping,cardboardboxesandother
unnecessarymaterials.Sometimesbuyingmoremeansconsumingless.

BeEfficientApotentiallysimplerandevenbiggerimpactcanbemadeby
doingmorewithless.Citizensofmanydevelopedcountriesareprofligate
wastersofenergy,whetherbyspeedinginagasguzzlingsportutilityvehicleor
leavingthelightsonwhennotinaroom.

Gooddrivingandgoodcarmaintenance,suchasmakingsuretiresare
properlyinflatedcanlimittheamountofgreenhousegasemissionsfroma
vehicleand,perhapsmoreimportantly,lowerthefrequencyofpaymentatthe
pump.

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Similarly,employingmoreefficientrefrigerators,airconditionersandother
appliances,suchasthoseratedhighlyundertheU.S.EnvironmentalProtection
Agency'sEnergyStarprogram,cancutelectricbillswhilesomethingassimple
asweatherproofingthewindowsofahomecanreduceheatingandcoolingbills.
Sucheffortscanalsobeusefullyemployedatwork,whetherthatmeans
installingmoreefficientturbinesatthepowerplantorturningthelightsoff
whenyouleavetheoffice.

EatSmart,GoVegetarian?CorngrownintheU.S.requiresbarrelsofoil
forthefertilizertogrowitandthedieselfueltoharvestandtransportit.Some
grocerystoresstockorganicproducethatdonotrequiresuchfertilizers,butit
isoftenshippedfromhalfwayacrosstheglobe.Andmeat,whetherbeef,
chickenorpork,requirespoundsoffeedtoproduceapoundofprotein.

Choosingfooditemsthatbalancenutrition,tasteandecologicalimpactisno
easytask.Foodstuffsoftenbearsomenutritionalinformation,butthereislittle
torevealhowfaraheadoflettuce,forexample,hastraveled.

UniversityofChicagoresearchersestimatethateachmeateatingAmerican
produces1.5tonsmoregreenhousegasesthroughtheirfoodchoicethando
theirvegetarianpeers.Itwouldalsotakefarlesslandtogrowthecrops
necessarytofeedhumansthanlivestock,allowingmoreroomforplanting
trees.

StopCuttingDownTreesEveryyear,33millionacresofforestsarecut
down.Timberharvestinginthetropicsalonecontributes1.5billionmetrictons
ofcarbontotheatmosphere.Thatrepresents20percentofhumanmade
greenhousegasemissionsandasourcethatcouldbeavoidedrelativelyeasily.

Improvedagriculturalpracticesalongwithpaperrecyclingandforest
managementbalancingtheamountofwoodtakenoutwiththeamountofnew

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treesgrowingcouldquicklyeliminatethissignificantchunkofemissions.

Andwhenpurchasingwoodproducts,suchasfurnitureorflooring,buyused
goodsor,failingthat,woodcertifiedtohavebeensustainablyharvested.The
Amazonandotherforestsarenotjustthelungsoftheearth,theymayalsobe
humanity'sbestshorttermhopeforlimitingclimatechange.

UnplugBelieveitornot,U.S.citizensspendmoremoneyonelectricityto
powerdeviceswhenoffthanwhenon.Televisions,stereoequipment,
computers,batterychargersandahostofothergadgetsandappliances
consumemoreenergywhenseeminglyswitchedoff,sounplugtheminstead.

Purchasingenergyefficientgadgetscanalsosavebothenergyandmoneyand
thuspreventmoregreenhousegasemissions.Totakebutoneexample,efficient
batterychargerscouldsavemorethanonebillionkilowatthoursofelectricity
$100millionattoday'selectricitypricesandthuspreventthereleaseofmore
thanonemillionmetrictonsofgreenhousegases.

Swappingoldincandescentlightbulbsformoreefficientreplacements,suchas
compactfluorescents(warning:theselightbulbscontainmercuryandmustbe
properlydisposedofattheendoftheirlonglife),wouldsavebillionsof
kilowatthours.Infact,accordingtotheEPA,replacingjustoneincandescent
lightbulbineveryAmericanhomewouldsaveenoughenergytoprovide
electricitytothreemillionAmericanhomes.

OneChildThereareatleast6.6billionpeoplelivingtoday,anumberthatis
predictedbytheUnitedNationstogrowtoatleastninebillionbymidcentury.
TheU.N.EnvironmentalProgramestimatesthatitrequires54acrestosustain
anaveragehumanbeingtodayfood,clothingandotherresourcesextracted
fromtheplanet.Continuingsuchpopulationgrowthseemsunsustainable.

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Fallingbirthratesinsomedevelopedanddevelopingcountries(asignificant
portionofwhichareduetogovernmentimposedlimitsonthenumberof
childrenacouplecanhave)havebeguntoreduceorreversethepopulation
explosion.Itremainsunclearhowmanypeopletheplanetcancomfortably
sustain,butitisclearthatpercapitaenergyconsumptionmustgodownif
climatechangeistobecontrolled.

Ultimately,aonechildpercoupleruleisnotsustainableeitherandthereisno
perfectnumberforhumanpopulation.Butitisclearthatmorehumansmeans
moregreenhousegasemissions.

FutureFuelsReplacingfossilfuelsmayprovethegreatchallengeofthe21st
century.Manycontendersexist,rangingfromethanolderivedfromcropsto
hydrogenelectrolyzedoutofwater,butallofthemhavesomedrawbacks,too,
andnoneareimmediatelyavailableatthescaleneeded.

Biofuelscanhaveahostofnegativeimpacts,fromdrivingupfoodpricesto
suckingupmoreenergythantheyproduce.Hydrogenmustbecreated,
requiringeitherreformingnaturalgasorelectricitytocrackwatermolecules.
Biodieselhybridelectricvehicles(thatcanplugintothegridovernight)may
offerthebesttransportationsolutionintheshortterm,giventheenergydensity
ofdieselandthecarbonneutralramificationsoffuelfromplantsaswellasthe
emissionsofelectricengines.Arecentstudyfoundthatthepresentamountof
electricitygenerationintheU.S.couldprovideenoughenergyforthecountry's
entirefleetofautomobilestoswitchtopluginhybrids,reducinggreenhouse
gasemissionsintheprocess.

Butpluginhybridswouldstillrelyonelectricity,nowpredominantlygenerated
byburningdirtycoal.Massiveinvestmentinlowemissionenergygeneration,
whethersolarthermalpowerornuclearfission,wouldberequiredtoradically

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reducegreenhousegasemissions.Andevenmorespeculativeenergysources
hyperefficientphotovoltaiccells,solarenergystationsinorbitorevenfusion
mayultimatelyberequired.

Thesolutionsaboveoffertheoutlineofaplantopersonallyavoidcontributing
toglobalwarming.Butshouldsuchindividualandnationaleffortsfail,thereis
another,potentiallydesperatesolution:

ExperimentEarthClimatechangerepresentshumanity'sfirstplanetwide
experiment.But,ifallelsefails,itmaynotbethelast.Socalledgeoengineering,
radicalinterventionstoeitherblocksunlightorreducegreenhousegases,isa
potentiallastresortforaddressingthechallengeofclimatechange.

Amongtheideas:releasingsulfateparticlesintheairtomimicthecooling
effectsofamassivevolcaniceruptionplacingmillionsofsmallmirrorsor
lensesinspacetodeflectsunlightcoveringportionsoftheplanetwith
reflectivefilmstobouncesunlightbackintospacefertilizingtheoceanswith
ironorothernutrientstoenableplanktontoabsorbmorecarbonand
increasingcloudcoverorthereflectivityofcloudsthatalreadyform.

Allmayhaveunintendedconsequences,makingthesolutionworsethanthe
originalproblem.Butitisclearthatatleastsomeformofgeoengineeringwill
likelyberequired:capturingcarbondioxidebeforeitisreleasedandstoringit
insomefashion,eitherdeepbeneaththeearth,atthebottomoftheoceanorin
carbonateminerals.Suchcarboncaptureandstorageiscriticaltoanyserious
efforttocombatclimatechange.

AdditionalreportingbyLarryGreenemeierandNikhilSwaminathan.
Rights & Permissions

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

David Biello
Biello is the awardwinning senior reporter for environment and energy
at Scientic American. He has been reporting on the environment and
energy since 1999long enough to be cynical but not long enough to be
depressed. He is a contributor to the 60Second Science podcasts and
host of "Beyond the Light Switch" as well as the forthcoming "The
Ethanol Eect" for PBS. He is the author of a children's book on bullet
trains and has a new book for grownups"The Unnatural World"
coming out in November 2016.
Recent Articles by David Biello
Electric Cars Are Not Necessarily Clean
DroughtRidden L.A. Tries Rainmakers to Tap Storm Clouds
Can Oil Companies Save the World from Global Warming?

LOAD COMMENTS

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Catastrophic Climate Could Be Forestalled by Cutting

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2 016 S CI E N TI F I CA ME RI CA N , A DI V I S I ON OF N A TU RE A ME RI CA , I N C.

A LLRI GHTS RE S E RV E D.

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