Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
mitigation and necessary adaptation are essential. The IPPC, the UN, James Hansen
and campaigners like George Monbiot agree that 'business as usual' is a recipe for
inevitable catastrophe. For Hansen, it is important that we find ways of taking
greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. CO
2
needs to be captured at power plants,
sequestered below ground, injected beneath the ocean floor; biomass needs to be
developed without the excessive use of nitrogen-based fertilizers or taking out of
production valuable agricultural land. The Worldwatch Institute (2007) has noted
that, with the increase in world agricultural prices, biofuels could economically benefit
a number of developing countries, which, instead of using foreign currency to import
oil, could develop their own domestic biofuel industries and so purchase fuel from
their own farmers. In
Heat
, George Monbiot (2006) notes a downside to this
enthusiasm, stating that the growth of palm oil plantations has displaced many
indigenous peoples and destroyed much forest land in Indonesia and Malaysia.
Greenpeace has campaigned for a total end to palm oil production for these reasons
and because the industry is basically 'cooking the planet' (Greenpeace International,
2007). Monbiot also argues for a number of other societal and individual actions
that could reduce CO
2
emissions by 90 per cent in most sectors. These include less
air and car travel, more Internet shopping, building less, installing better home
insulation, using less high energy-consuming cement in construction, growing wood
for heating and developing solar power. For Monbiot, civil nuclear power is not an
option because of its well-documented connection with military uses, the danger of
proliferation, and unresolved problems regarding waste disposal and expense. For
Monbiot, we have no choice but to act now, but unfortunately governments tend
to commission reports but rarely act effectively on their findings and possibilities.
Additionally, many individuals, certainly in the developed world, may be extremely
reluctant to significantly alter aspects of their lifestyles, especially when it comes to
cheap flights abroad. Where aviation is concerned, writes Monbiot:
There is no technofix. The growth in aviation and the need to address climate
change cannot be reconciled. . . . A 90 per cent cut in emissions requires not
only that growth stops, but that most of the planes which are flying today are
grounded.
(2006: 182)
With perhaps growing desperation that the global situation was deteriorating rapidly
and that the arguments from environmentalist and social movements were having
very little impact on policy makers, George Monbiot now (controversially) believes
that one technical solution, namely nuclear power, is a policy option that can no
longer be ignored by Greens and governments alike (Monbiot and Goodall, 2011).
The IPCC (2007: 11) states that there is a high level of agreement and much
evidence from bottom-up and top-down studies to support the conclusion that 'there
is substantial economic potential for the mitigation of global GHG emissions over
the coming decades, which could offset the projected growth of global emissions or
reduce emissions below current levels'. These include:
Changes in lifestyles and consumption patterns emphasizing resource conserva-
tion can contribute to developing an equitable and sustainable low-carbon
economy.
