The Technology is Already Here

We know from the IPCC reports that the world needs to reach net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within 30 years. But what would that look like? Is it even possible for us to completely stop emitting greenhouse gasses?

I didn’t even know the answer to that question when I started this series, despite having read fairly widely on the climate crisis. But I have become convinced that it is not unrealistic to reduce our GHG almost to zero — say by 95% or more — within that timeframe, and that is without including carbon capture and sequestration (which may be needed in time, since we ultimately need to have negative emissions). …

Ever since the merchants of doubt started spending huge sums to fight against the United States dealing with global climate change, we have heard the narrative that even if it is real, dealing with it is far too expensive and would destroy our quality of life. For example, Republican lawmakers claimed that the Green New Deal, if enacted, would ban hamburgers, air travel, and ice cream.

The reality is far different. Scientific American recently published an analysis showing that a Green New Deal could rapidly lower CO2 emissions while also expanding employment over the next three decades by an additional 35 million job years (one job for one year). …

We Can Reach Carbon Neutral

Trickle-Up Politics

We have 50 states, over 3,000 counties, and over more than 35,000 cities and towns in the United States. Energy affects nearly everything we do: simple acts of daily living, making things, travel, defense, manufacturing, and heating and cooling our homes and workplaces among others. There are laws, regulations, and codes at every level that will need to be modified to meet our climate goals, such as limiting global warming to 1.5° C.

Obviously, our current administration is working against this goal rather than supporting it. Fortunately, this is being counterbalanced by a number of factors. These include the growing number of Americans committed to the need for action about the climate crisis, including working through effective organizations, the large number of states, cities, and municipalities making climate commitments and taking action, and the economics favoring reduction in greenhouse gasses. …

Steps towards an Embodied Vision of Reaching Carbon Neutral

This article is a follow-up to my article, “Climate Crisis: Envisioning a Solution,” and explores step one of a six-step vision of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

“When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” I have seen this quote attributed to Gandhi, to Dwight D. Eisenhower, and to Florence Robinson. But whoever said it first, it is most often true. If the U.S. …

An embodied vision of reaching carbon neutral.

If we are to be energized and effective in dealing with the climate crisis, we must have a realistic vision of a path forward. We need to envision a solution to the situation blocking effective movement today. Once we have a clear vision, it then becomes possible to start taking effective steps one by one. It is my intention that this be the first in a series of articles laying out such a vision. The elements of this vision, explained more below, are as follows:

1. Engaging the hearts and minds of the people.
2. The political solution.
3. The economic solution.
4. The technological solution.
5. The physical solution.
6. …

A counter-intuitive argument

I recognize that the title of this article seems unlikely. After all, as I mentioned in my previous article, the United States is the leading country for climate deniers, largely as a result of an organized, well-funded campaign sponsored primarily by “the fossil fuels lobby, the Koch brothers, industry advocates and conservative think tanks, often in the United States.”

Our current President, who as recently as 2009, was part of a business coalition urging President Obama to take urgent climate action, went on in 2012 to say that “climate change was a hoax invented by the Chinese to make US manufacturing less competitive” and has taken numerous actions to undo the efforts of his predecessor to address the climate crisis, most notably by committing to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement and by packing his cabinet with coal and oil barons. …

This issue hits a blind spot in the human mind.

Many of us recognize that the climate crisis is the most critical issue humanity has ever faced. We resonated with Greta Thunberg when she spoke at the United Nations, saying “For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear. How dare you continue to look away and come here saying that you’re doing enough, when the politics and solutions needed are still nowhere in sight.”

Why is this? World-wide, the fact that we are facing a climate crisis is almost universally acknowledged. 196 countries plus the European Union signed the Paris Agreement. Except in the United States, the vast majority of people in all countries recognize that we are facing a problem. …

Are you feeling overwhelmed, fatalistic, or despairing about the climate crisis? You’re certainly not alone. I have met young adults deciding not to have children because of their concern about the world they would be born into. Lots of children are feeling anxiety and depression about climate, and many of their parents are, as well. After all, the upcoming crisis is so huge, and our sense of agency, of ability to have an impact, feels so tiny. It is like watching a slow-motion train wreck.

But there are steps you can take to help you move out of these feelings. They are good for you, and good for the planet, as well. Here are four of the steps you can take to change your perspective. …