CLIMATE CHANGE

SAVING OUR ONLY HOME: A difficult, but possible, plan to combat climate change

Rollin Dix, Professor Emeritus, Illinois Institute of Technology – cell (630) 842-0773   It’s time to panic!  Climate change is even more serious than World War II.

Read The Uninhabitable Earth to learn about 2018’s evidence and the immediate threats. Tipping points are near.  Ice is melting all over the globe much faster than was believed just a year ago.  All countries are failing to meet their 2015 Paris agreements. Worldwide major oil and gas producers are lobbying and lying to maintain production.

Serious hopes for avoiding catastrophe?

Silicon Valley entrepreneur Tony Seba argues that for fundamental economic reasons, inevitably, by 2030 the world’s electric power will be produced 100% by solar+storage. (Seba’s solar growth includes India, China, Australia, South America, Africa, the Middle East and the EU as well as the US).  I doubt his timetable but not the idea.

China is designing and testing new designs for nuclear reactors that could replace coal-fired electricity generation.  Argonne National Labs developed safe and efficient fast breeder technology and has designs for mass producing such reactors for $500 million each.  When will the US respond?

Methods exist for reducing the amount of solar energy that gets through the atmosphere.  Solar intervention can cut warming while solar cells, wind turbines and nuclear are installed to reduce carbon-burning’s CO2 production.  A worldwide crash program is necessary.

Here are my ideas on how the US can contribute.

1)   As soon as possible start investing $50 billion per year in blocking sunlight (airplane or tethered balloon delivery of SO2 to the stratosphere) perhaps taking scientists and funds from our wasteful nuclear weapons programs.

2)   Start building advanced nuclear reactors at $50 billion per year also creating jobs for ex-servicemen and women released when military budgets are cut.  The waste heat can be used by steel, aluminum, cement and other industries.

3)   Start installing $50 billion per year in solar and battery for replacement of coal and oil-fired electricity generation.

4)   Pass a carbon tax to reduce coal and oil burning, and auto fuel efficiency rules that force conversion to electric cars and trucks.

5)   Government funding and legislative action are unavailable until 2021 so we must convince wealthy individuals to fund R&D now.  Bill Gates has started! 

6)   We must overcome our status quo and optimism biases, then leaders must take unpopular actions to begin projects like those outlined above. 

I’d sure like to hear your ideas.  Please reply. I’ll send Gates’ story and other details. Thanks.