A PATH FORWARD

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There are no magic bullets when it comes to the climate. After we've sifted through the misinformation and invective, climate change becomes a real problem that requires our direct attention. Unfortunately, the solutions being proposed are incomplete and expensive, based on minimal and incomplete science, and they don't directly attack the problem. Rather than propose a list of direct solutions, I advocate for a process and outlook that could get us there. I advocate for climaturity: a process where we're transparent and open and inclusive about the problems we face and the resources we need to spend. Anything short of that gets us to, well, exactly where we're at today, which is pretty much nowhere. We need a new and sane approach, so let me offer the following ideas (in no particular order).

Let's Agree that Temperature Reduction is the End Game

Our overall goal needs to be temperature reduction, not emissions reduction, or tech proliferation, or jobs, or whatever. We need to start with the things that affect temperature the most. If we don't know the answer, then why bother implementing them? It is a waste of money if we don't. We need to spend money on things that will have the most direct temperature reduction impact.

Carbon Negative First

Decarbonization over a 30-50-year period—while spending trillions in the process—won't get us there. Time is a factor, so we don't have 50 years to wait for progress. As we've already seen, the process and accounting methods we use in future-looking carbon reduction is iffy at best, and we don't have 50 years to find out how wrong we've been. We need to start our carbon negative journey by funding and deploying both technical and natural solutions today.

Implement Natural Solutions First 

Plant trees until we figure everything else out. Then keep planting trees even after we do. Carbon removal technology development and deployment will take decades, but we have hundreds of natural solutions available today if we choose to implement them. Do it now.

Adaptation is a Viable Option

One of the most interesting aspects about our climate modeling process is the idea that humanity will not react at all to whatever happens to our planet. The models assume temperature growth, economic options, energy adoption rates and dozens of other variables, yet assume that we as humans will simply stand idly by as our planet collapses around us.

What a silly notion. Like every species, mankind will adapt to however the world changes. If coastlines rise, we'll build homes further away from them. If mountains melt over decades, we'll relocate onto higher ground. If things get too hot, we'll deploy air conditioning and other ways to survive the heat.

We have been adapting to environmental changes our entire existence. The Netherlands has been underwater since it began and has continued to evolve its water management capabilities. In 2007, Hurricane Katrina killed 1800 people and destroyed much of New Orleans, but we adapted, rebuilt the levee system, and lowered deaths to 150 when Hurricane Ida hit in 2021. We will adapt to how the world changes and should consider it as one of primary options to fight climate change.

Conservation is also a Viable Option

All of our energy scenarios assume that our global energy usage will grow unabated, but what if we were able to slow this down? What if we all used 25% less stuff than we do now? Using less stuff would save trillions and would give our natural systems to catch up. Conservation just makes good sense.

For those who say it can't be done, I'll offer up the year 2020 as Exhibit A.Driven by COVID-fueled conservation, the U.S. dropped our overall emissions by 11%, 15% in transportation. We stayed home, and we used less stuff. We did in 1 year through conservation what nearly 50 years of climate panic couldn't.

Develop and Implement Consistent Climate Accounting 

Let's stop the climaccounting sleight-of-hand. At this point in our climate evolution, we need real numbers, real facts, and real comparisons. If we penalize one energy source for something, we need to include that factor in all of the comparisons. No cherry picking the data. Call out those who do. We need to compare things fairly. We also need new metrics, those with which we can compare options fairly and evenly. I propose the following: dollars spent/temperature reduction/time. We just don't know how much it's going to cost to reverse our temperatures, so we need to change that now. We need to know what our options are. 

Implement the Cheapest and Most Cost-Effective Items First 

We need to perform cost-benefit analyses on all potential options, with the same standard comparative math we developed in the previous section. Which are the cheapest options to implement in order to get us the quickest benefits? If we don't know, then we don't implement it. Period.

Decarbonize, But Don't Do It Blindly 

A massive ramp-up of "electrify everything" will not lead us to climate salvation. We'll spend trillions and never reach our temperature-reduction goals. Yes, it plays well in the climate press, and yes, politicians love it, but it falls short every time. Let's continue our gradual makeover of our electrical and transportation grids with cleaner alternatives, but only where it doesn't break the bank. The world isn't ready for things that will cost us so much and deliver so little after decades.

Challenge the Narrative 

Ask questions, challenge what you don't understand. Put people on the spot. Don't let yourself be bullied. Most of what we're being told is not science, it's opinion and/or computer predictions. This is no way to justify spending trillions. We need to call people out on both sides of the aisle on their irrelevant and ridiculous rhetoric.

We Need Bipartisan Support

Let's say this all together now: everything, everything, everything must have support from both Democrats and Republicans. And not just one token vote so it plays well with Corporate Media. I mean real bipartisan support. No more of this 2-years-on, 2-years-off crap, we need things that will truly span administrations. We have to have continuous commitment.

Full Climate Transparency

I call for a 6-12 month public campaign with climate scientists in front of Congress, with full transparency.We need both sides of the aisle being able to ask questions in public. We need this out in front of everybody, so we know what the reality is, what the reality isn't, and how much it's all going to cost. Enough of this cloak and dagger/hidden in international meeting minutes nonsense. Make it all public.

Stop the Panic 

It's just crazy. There is no way to justify this type of misdirection and overhype. We are doing a huge disservice to everyone by continuing the climapocalypse narrative.

Stop Terrifying Our Children

This is even crazier. Stop telling my children that the world is going to die tomorrow. It's not, so quit saying it.

Make Changes Yourself 

No Paris (or Kyoto or Cancun or Glasgow) or any other international agreement is not going to save us. Neither is the Green New Deal or whatever else it's called by the time you read this. It's just not going to happen. If you are a true believer, then change your life to make it happen. Give up fossil fuels completely. Rearrange your life to make it happen. Rearrange your children's lives to make it happen.

Leverage the Capitalist Profit-Motive

Greed is good. Remember when Gordon Gecko, the slick-haired huckster, said that in the movie Wall Street? Many cringed. His point? Selfishness will direct people's energies towards making money, which grows businesses, creates employment, creates opportunities, and can cause a tremendous amount of good in the process.

We in solar figured that out years ago. Before subsidies and rebates and other financial incentives came into play, solar was relegated to boats and cabins in the woods. Then financial engineering concepts like Power Purchase Agreements, Investment Tax Credits, and others were designed and showed companies how they could make money; many of you reading this invented those concepts. Once people figured out how to profit it from it there's been double-digit worldwide growth since then. (There wasn't green until there was GR$$N.)

If we collectively figure out how to make money at solving climate change, then selfish profit-making interests could go towards solving our most pressing problems. Imagine all those international resources focused on solving climate change and, oh by the way, they're making a helluva lot of money too. Isn't that a good thing?

Incentivize Changes

Imagine governments paying us to conserve, plant trees, stop driving, or anything else we could individually contribute to help counterbalance what's happening on our planet. Instead of paying billions in subsidies to car companies to make electric vehicles that only the wealthy can afford, how about if those same subsidies incentivized us all—and I mean all—to change our collective behavior towards the common good? Pay us to not drive, pay us to plant greenery in our yards, pay us to carpool. There are thousands of things we can do that wouldn't require the transformation of our entire world's infrastructure to be effective.