Dear Editor,
Technology in the
Garden of Good and Evil. Is there a
solution to climate change?
Scientists have called global climate change an existential
threat to mankind's sustainable life on Earth. Vast numbers of scientists now
believe that the elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide is from man-made primarily
from fossil fuel use. This gas effectively traps solar radiation (heat) close
to the surface, and further manifests with increased ocean temperature – +1oC
since the mid-19th century.
This small temperature increase causes more water vapor to
enter the atmosphere naturally and results in more intense weather events,
perversely including droughts and wildfires. Scientists have projected that a
rise of +1.5oC will become a “tipping point” where the onset of
climate change will become unstoppable or irreversible by any measure.
This was why nations banded together in the 2015 Paris
Accords to slow the rate of increase of greenhouse gases by mid-21st
Century. In the aftermath of the 2020
pandemic, the world's nations must remain unified in fighting a new enemy and
vow “to slow the growth” of greenhouse gas emissions. It will be equally
painful to our economy and culture, but in this battle, the enemy is “Mother Nature,”
and we all know from the late 70's Chiffron margarine commercial - “That it is
not nice to fool Mother Nature.” Also, like the COVID-19 war, climate change
has no territorial boundary or political party. This time it is simply “life as
we know it will end” for all species period.
A major lesson from today in 2020 is that we must trust the
same scientific process that led us to extend “Slow the Spread” to slow the increased
rate of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere before mid-century. It will not be easy economically or from any
technology points of view.
I submit that we must turn to our own EPA and its legacy of
reliance on science to manage the environment. Its wisdom and dedication led to
near reversal of the environmental affronts of the 20th Century in
roughly 50 years. The EPA Alumni Association was formed in 2008 to address
ongoing educational and mentoring needs. Its motto is a feisty “We're Not Done
Yet.” EPA has repeatedly focused on science and technology to implement a new
paradigm that suggests optimistically future successes moving forward on the
climate change front.
The challenge will be to infuse a degree of efficiency,
creativity, in R&D [research and development] already underway in
transportation, construction materials and standards, and electrical power
generation. The technology fix is underway in research in solar panels, lighter
weight batteries, and pollution prevention practices that alter the impact of
manufacturing on multiple products.
What's urgently needed now is a societal will that empowers
technology and excites the public to a more sustainable future for the human
race. I close with this interesting observation from our Constitution itself that uniquely supports scientific
innovation and creativity. It provides our Congress with the authority
"to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for
limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective
writings and discoveries."
Ray Whittemore
Standish
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