- A Plan to Keep Carbon in Check
Summary-AVID Article Format
- Increase in CO2 threatens biosphere; hurricanes get stronger, summers get hotter, and polar bears suffer
- 2 potential futures - one where CO2 amount doubles, and one where the rate stays at current rate
- Carbon intensity, linked to GDP and CO2 emission, must be decreased fully as economy grows
- When societies get richer, services are given priority and carbon intensity decreases
- Clever inventions and innovations can replace most of the world's plants, reducing carbon intensity
- New science and engineering needed to squeeze down costs, but lowering CO2 by 2056 is possible now
- Ending fossil fuel usage and pursuing alternative fuels, or making "smart" coal plants that deal with CO2 problem
- Pumping CO2 into the ground is a valuable asset to extracting more oil and decreasing prices
- Using hydropower, wind-power, and geothermal power has very little carbon intensity (1 wedge)
- Nuclear power also considered, but dangerous and wasteful (2 wedges)
- transport fuels should be derived from petroleum and synfuel, not coal
- No-till agriculture, deforestation, and reducing methane also helps CO2 depletion
- Would cost millions, billions of dollars to store CO2 if price was given to it
- Government must encourage use of low-carbon tech, mediation and compensation of rising CO2 levels
- The future will be filled with fossil-fuel plants that have more efficient, cleaner operation, or alternatives
Summary
The world today is now witnessing the biggest increase in CO2 levels it has ever seen, with levels expected to double in the next 50 years. This is problematic for the population, as CO2 can harm the environment and influence weather and the health of individuals. So what can we do stop this, you may ask? A system comprised of "wedges", with a max of 7 (cleanest) can be used to calculate this. Switching to alternative fuels such as nuclear and hydro can yield as much as 2 wedges. Cleaner operation of current fossil fuel practices can add 1, and relatively small changes such as a switch to no-till farming and lessened automobile use could dramatically influence or air. The question is, however, if we are willing to do so.
Reflection
I hope that we can shift our priorities to building a better Earth for our grandchildren, instead of waiting for something huge to happen to trigger our actions. Like Al Gore has said, the human brain does not react to gradual change, it reacts to sudden change. We should train our minds and our government to react to problems BEFORE they start, rather than after. If we don't change our habits and shift to cleaner fuel alternatives and better, more efficient farming and travel techniques, we may not be able to see farther than the smog lets us.