KISS – the engineer’s way of designing things that work. Solving the climate change crisis with nuclear fission plants to power the separation of oil from the billions of tons of tar in which it’s embedded – and destroying hundreds of thousands of acres of forest to get at the tar – is not a simple technique. (See last post below.) Blowing up grasslands and forested mountains to uncover the coal, transporting it hundreds, if not thousands, of miles to burn it for electricity then capturing the CO2 in an enormously expensive process and then driving it below the surface of the earth where it may – or may not – stay sequestered is just a tad on the needlessly complex, wasteful, expensive and stupid side. Putting gigantic mirrors in space to deflect solar radiation or placing tens of thousands of bus-sized boxes around the world to suck CO2 out of the air are not particularly viable, cost-effective or smart strategies.
We’ve got hundreds of ways to do things better and simpler. “Teach us delight in simple things …” said Rudyard Kipling. (I’m reading the Jungle Book stories to my kid right now. Let me tell you something: This cat was tuned in.)
This is all just a roundabout way of directing you to a good little article by the indispensable Fiona Harvey at the “FT.” Black-and-white answers to motley puzzle talks about using the existing vehicle of the Montreal Protocol to reduce existing GHG emissions 10%! How? By eliminating hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The Montreal Protocol, designed to eliminate ozone-depleting chemicals (ODCs) from the atmosphere, has been spectacularly successful in its 20 plus years of life, not only in reducing ODCs but also in reducing GHG. (I wrote about that unexpected and entirely welcome success story here a while back.)
Harvey’s article also discusses the manifest benefits of simple approaches with a whole lot of bang for the buck such as reducing the black carbon output of biomass cook stoves. Durwood Zaelke, president of the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development, says “The time has come to explore these other options.” IGSD is doing groundbreaking work in promoting simpler approaches to sustainability, both at the planetary and the community level. See this from a couple of weeks ago at the blog for more on black carbon and a great video.
“I’m Not Crazy After All Department” – I suggested a couple of years ago that we could cultivate white grass for lawns, golf courses and for planting on roofs. Well, the FT story says that “White paint reflects heat back into space, so changing the colour of roofs and pavements could make a big difference.” (It’s the albedo effect.) I also reported on sun-reflecting plants here.
KISS.
