Global warming is threatening life as we know. But we have the resources and the power to face the challenge. Here are seven smart solutions for climate change
Our civilisation has evolved under the conditions of a remarkable stable climate. That stability has now come to an abrupt halt, largely thanks to human actions.
Scientists tell us we need to keep global temperature rise to a maximum of 2 degrees celsius – preferably 1.5 degrees – to avoid catastrophic consequences.
If we can summon the political will, we have many options for addressing climate change. We must act fast.
Seven solutions to climate change
1. Renewables are to be embraced
The single largest source of global warming emissions is fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal. They were the engines of the Industrial Revolution and helped lift billions out from poverty, but they are no longer relevant.
Renewables are the key to a sustainable climate. Once seen as too expensive and inefficient to replace the fossils, they’re now among the cheapest sources of energy on the planet – and getting cheaper still.
The price of solar power has dropped by a shocking 90 percent in the last decade. Wind isn’t far behind. And unlike their fossil counterparts, their fuel is available for free every morning at sunrise.
Britain received 60 percent of its electricity needs on one sunny, windy Easter 2021 day. Wind power alone accounted for half the demand on 3 May.
Wind farms are one of the most cost-effective sources for energy on the planet. Image: Thomas Reaubourg
Experts at say that onshore wind provides the best returns in terms of bangs for buck. Project Drawdown. Once dependent on coal for the lion’s share of its energy, the UK now regularly enjoys long chains of coal-free days.
Of course, the sun doesn’t always shine; the wind doesn’t always blow. You might not need the electricity it generates. This is where energy storage comes into play. The secret weapon of the renewables revolution is the battery. You can store excess electricity from rooftop solar panels at your home, or you can have large power banks that match demand and supply across a wide area. like the 320MW giantPlanned for the Thames Gateway. Or the new ‘gigafactory’ planned for Coventry, both in the UK. You can also harness excess green power to make hydrogen for industry and transport. This means that you don’t have to waste wind energy.
Experts agree that green energy should be available in combination with other renewables such as hydro and geothermal. lion’s share of the world’s power needs by mid-century.
2. Electrify transportation
Electric bikes, cars and vans are the future of light transport. Their batteries will be a key part of the renewables revolution, acting as mini power plants and trickling energy to the grid when they are not in use.
The race to electrify automobiles, planes, and trains is on. Image: Michael Fousert
Climate-friendly aviation is a more difficult problem to solve. Some short-haul flights will eventually go electric, but the best bet for longer ones is either hydrogen, syngas [synthetic gas]From household rubbish, or new biofuels made of algae or food waste. You can also cut out unnecessary flights.
3. Retrofit houses
Keeping the climate cool doesn’t mean shivering in our beds. Many homes can be warmed by electric heat pumps, either ground- or air-source. These heat pumps can be combined with high levels insulation to save money and carbon. Energy-efficient retrofits, such as that carried out in Nottingham by the Energiesprong team, can create both jobs and more comfortable homes – “like putting a tea cosy over a house”.
Hot countries pose different challenges. Air conditioning can account for half the electricity consumption in major cities of the global south. However, more efficient AC designs may be possible. radical – and cost-effective – approach draws on longstanding indigenous architecture: it maximises natural airflows, and uses “radiant cooling” – drawing heat from the room to walls cooled by water circulating through embedded pipes. This replicates the cooling effect of caves, where water runs down the walls.
Gas boilers must be replaced by ground or air-source electric heaters. Image: He Gong
4. Reduce waste
If cows were a country as Bill Gates put it, they’d be the third biggest source of greenhouse gases after China and the US. His comment sums up what the main challenge is in a climate-friendly diet. To eat less meat, especially beef. You don’t necessarily have to go uber-vegan (though you’ll bask in a climate halo if you do), but drastically reducing livestock’s impact on the planet – whether directly from its own emissions or via all the land, water and energy used to support it – is one of the most effective solutions to climate change.
If you just love slavering over a burger, there’s always the option of lab-grown versions, like the Impossible Whopper or those from Beyond Meat – almost indistinguishable from the real thing in blind taste tests.
One third of all food produced never gets eaten – either because it spoils between being harvested and hitting the shops, or because it’s thrown away by the purchaser. A combination of agricultural market reforms, refrigerated storage, and other measures can dramatically reduce wastage and increase income for farmers in the global South.
The richer world should look at a combination of government actions (such as France’s ban on supermarkets throwing away food), and voluntary initiatives from retailers.
Eating a plant-based diet can help reduce emissions. Image: Dan Cristian Padure
5. Restore carbon sinks
Boosting nature’s capacity to absorb carbon is one of the more rewarding solutions to climate change, as doing so also provides vital habitats for wildlife. Amazon and other large forests turning from a carbon sink into an emissions sourceThe race is on for forests to be conserved, restored, and created on a large scale. Rich countries should encourage poorer countries to preserve forests. Sometimes, giving more power to the local inhabitants of the forest is the best solution.
Costa Rica provides a good example of how to recover. They have doubled their rainforest cover over the past 30 years by cutting logging permit, paying landowners for conservation and investing in forest-origin drugs and ecotourism.
Meanwhile, a recent study showed that 11 per cent of the world – the size of the US and China combined – is fit for a trillion tree reforestation drive.
Beyond trees, farming must be done in a way that locks carbon into the soil. We also need to protect the oceans by using fishing methods that encourage mangroves and seagrass habitats. This captures carbon up 35 times faster than rainforests.
It is a surefire way to absorb carbon dioxide by restoring, conserving, and replanting forests. Image: Kazuend
6. Reduce consumption
It would also help if there were fewer people. Although it has less positive implications for economic and socio-economic cohesion, the falling population rates in many developed nations is a solution for climate change. The rich account for a much greater per capita amount of global warming emissions. However, some of the most vulnerable countries to global warming are seeing their populations grow. The best intervention is to educate girls: The best way to have smaller, more healthy families.
Many climate solutions depend on reducing resource consumption. The Green Alley Awards have highlighted the rise of the circular economy. It is helping to break the link between quality and quantity. There’s growing interest in ‘pre-loved’ goods, including clothes (as sold through the popular Depop app), in borrowing rather than buying rarely-used appliances, through initiatives like the Library of Things, and in repair and refurbish projects.
Design ‘smart cities’ around cycling and walkingNot only does it reduce carbon but it also makes for safer streets and more vibrant neighborhoods. It, like many other promising solutions to climate changes, improves life on ground in the present and helps to prevent a high-carb disaster.
If we want to meet our climate targets, the circular economy must become mainstream. Image: Clem Onojeghuo
7. Shift your system
Without support from government, finance, and business, none of these solutions to climate changes will fly. Most states and many major companies and investors have set ‘net zero’ targets, which is a start. Now, they must put words into practice.
This means that high-carbon sectors are not being funded and that they are being invested in real sustainable ones. It means putting a high enough price on carbon that industry is incentivised to move away from it – and reflecting that in fiscal policies that shift the burden from labour to resource use. In other words, tax what we don’t want (planet-warming activities), and not what we do (jobs).
This means acknowledging that the defining task for this decade is to deliver lasting climate solutions. We made mistakes in changing the climate. Now it is our responsibility to change the climate.
Main image: Damian Patkowski
