Talk, Act, Now.

Solutions

Solving Climate Change is going to require unprecedented changes by every government, corporation, and top 10% individual on the planet. The following is what might be included in a plan similar to the Green New Deal. The information here is only advisory and may change, it is also the minimum required to solve the climate crisis. A more extensive plan can be found at Project Drawdown.

Zero Emissions

We have to ensure we are no longer emitting greenhouse gasses. Zero emissions will cause CO2 levels to flatline.

  • Climate emergency declaration and communication. Governments must declare a climate emergency and communicate it to media outlets so that its population can be accurately informed of the climate crisis.
  • Governments legally bind emissions reductions to IPCC targets. This can be achieved with Iterative Risk Management whereby targets are reviewed on a yearly basis and should they fail to be met, additional measures are introduced to bring targets in line.
  • Anti-Corruption and Pro-Democracy measures. Corporate lobbying must be detached from government. For example, the HR 1 For the People Act.
  • Fossil fuel subsidies phased out and renewable subsidies increased. In 2015 the world spent $5.3 trillion on fossil fuel subsidies.
  • Large scale building of new renewable energy infrastructure. Renewable energy sources such as Wind and Solar power should be built on a massive scale. Nuclear can be secondary only if it is proven to be economically and practically advantagous vs Wind and Solar by 2030. Large scale and fast deployment of Wind and Solar is more than capable of meeting all our energy needs as grid storage costs decrease.
  • Replacing existing energy infrastructure. This includes replacing fossil fuel-powered heating in all homes.
  • Increased investment in ground public transport. A better public transit system including high-speed trains can replace the need for national flights. Cities also need better cycling infrastructure.
  • Frequent fliers face heavy taxation. For example, the a free ride campaign whereby everyone gets one tax free return flight a year, with taxes increasing for every additional flight.
  • Incentives for switching to electric vehicles. For example, subsidies, a scrappage scheme, and higher taxes on the most polluting cars.
  • Decarbonization of agriculture and LULUCF. Better livestock productivity, higher taxes on carbon intensive foods like meat, and more innovation.
  • Taxes to fund the transition and improve equality. Higher taxes on the super rich should be implemented to pay for these schemes and improve equality. For example, a 70% tax on income over $10 million.
  • Rethink of GDP and capitalism. Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is an alternative to GDP that includes environmental and social factors in the measurement of progress. In addition to using GPI, capitalism itself could be reformed and tied to environmental and social factors.

Drawdown and Restoration

We have to remove the billions of tonnes of emissions already released into the atmosphere. Even if all emissions stopped today, the planet would still warm due to a lag time between emissions and warming. Drawdown will cause CO2 levels to decrease.

  • Afforestation, reforestation and rewilding. We have to plant as many trees and possible. Scientists found that planting 1.2 trillion trees could cancel out a decade of CO2 emissions. It must be done at a scale that outpaces deforestation.
  • Direct Air Capture and Carbon Dioxide Removal. This involves extracting CO2 out of the air via fans and storing it underground.
  • Other drawdown solutions. You can see detailed explanations of many drawdown options here.

Climate Justice

Climate change has an unequal impact on different groups of people, such as the world's poorest. Solutions to climate change need to take this into account, and not fall into the trap of false solutions such as agro/biofuel crops, or increased fossil fuel or biofuel combustion with carbon capture and storage (CSS).

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