ten steps to turn around global climate change
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Ten steps to turn around global climate change. By the WFUNA MIllennium Project. Un Ga PresTRANSCRIPT
Ten Steps to turn around Ten Steps to turn around Global Climate ChangeGlobal Climate Change
Jerome C. GlennThe Millennium Project
www.StateoftheFuture.org
In addition to the usual In addition to the usual suggestionssuggestions
• Carbon Tax and Carbon TradingCarbon Tax and Carbon Trading• Reduce deforestation Reduce deforestation • Industrial efficiencies and co-generationIndustrial efficiencies and co-generation• Conservation and recyclingConservation and recycling• Renewable energy sources like wind, Renewable energy sources like wind,
ground solar, regular geothermal, tidal, ground solar, regular geothermal, tidal, and current biofuelsand current biofuels
• Which all are good, but other steps are Which all are good, but other steps are very important that are less well very important that are less well understoodunderstood
Ten Steps to turn around Ten Steps to turn around Global Climate ChangeGlobal Climate Change1.1. US-China Global Energy StrategyUS-China Global Energy Strategy2.2. Seawater AgricultureSeawater Agriculture3.3. Carbon Sequestration Total MatrixCarbon Sequestration Total Matrix4.4. Low cost electric car batteriesLow cost electric car batteries5.5. Solar Power SatellitesSolar Power Satellites6.6. Enhanced GeothermalEnhanced Geothermal7.7. Animal protein without animals via stem Animal protein without animals via stem
cellscells8.8. Urban Systems EcologyUrban Systems Ecology9.9. TransInstitutionsTransInstitutions10.10.Global Climate Change Collective Global Climate Change Collective
Intelligence Intelligence
1. US-China Apollo-like 1. US-China Apollo-like StrategyStrategy
• Global Scale R&DGlobal Scale R&D
• Goal: Turn around Greenhouse Goal: Turn around Greenhouse Emissions within 10 yearsEmissions within 10 years
• Focus: Base load electricity & Focus: Base load electricity & transportationtransportation
2. Sea Water Agriculture2. Sea Water Agriculture
• 10,000 flora species can live on salt water• 100 in commercial trials• Tropical desert coastlines - Plant hundreds of miles long
areas• Food for humans and animals• Biofuels• Pulp for paper product industries• Reduces fresh water drain for agriculture• Raises water tables• Absorbs Carbon Dioxide
• New source of income for poorer regions of the world
18801860
500
0
1000
1500
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020 2040 2060
Surprise
Geothermal
Solar
Biomass
Wind
NuclearHydro
Gas
Oil &NGL
Coal
Trad. Bio.
Exa
jou
les
3. Carbon Sequestration Shell Oil’s “Sustainable” Growth
Carbon sequestration
800-1,000 Coal plants without carbon capture and storage are in planning or construction
We need an overview ofWe need an overview ofCarbon Sequestration OptionsCarbon Sequestration Options
Technology Technology OptionOption
State of State of Scientific Scientific Knowledge Knowledge now now
Cost, Cost, benefit, benefit, time-to-time-to-impactimpact
Policy Policy OptionsOptions
Option 1Option 1
Option 2Option 2
Etc.Etc.
4. Low cost electric car batteries (batteries may fall to $2,000 for 10KW by end of the 2007)
Lithium-Ion batteries from Thunder Sky in China could dramatically lower the costs of electric cars in Europe and North America when their new factories are completed in July 2007 in the US and the second half of 2008 in Finland.
Chinese bus companies have signed the long-term contracts. Chinese car companies could use these batteries to make as many as 100,000 by 2008 and 200,000 by 2009/2010.
Fossil Fuels ? Environmental Impacts
By 2050 an additional ~2.4 billion people will be added, 5-7 billion of the 9 billion in 2050 will live in urban concentrations, economic growth will accelerate, 300-425 nuclear power plants will be closed, electric cars will increase. Where will the extra electricity come from ?
Nuclear power ? Security and Env. Impacts
Alternatives from earth ? Not enough for megacities
Energy from Space ? No greenhouse gases No nuclear waste Enough for the world
5. Solar Power Satellites … Global Electricity Issues
Can provide energy worldwide without greenhouse gases or nuclear waste
Orbital Solar Energy Satellites
6. Enhanced Geothermal6. Enhanced Geothermal
• Drill two holes to hit rock (2-3 KM Drill two holes to hit rock (2-3 KM down)down)
• Force water down one, exploding Force water down one, exploding steam breaks through to the other up steam breaks through to the other up to surface to electric generatorto surface to electric generator
• 24 hour system24 hour system• No nuclear or greenhouse gas wasteNo nuclear or greenhouse gas waste• Available around most of the world Available around most of the world
even where conventional geothermal even where conventional geothermal is notis not
• Initial test were successful – See MIT Initial test were successful – See MIT study study http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/techtalk-info.htmlhttp://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/techtalk-info.html
7. Animal protein without animals
• Stem cells taken from the blood of Stem cells taken from the blood of umbilical cords can be stimulated to umbilical cords can be stimulated to produce muscle tissue.produce muscle tissue.
• Produce animal protein from cows, Produce animal protein from cows, pigs, and goats ...pigs, and goats ...without producing without producing animalsanimals
• Saves energy, land, water, health Saves energy, land, water, health costs, CO2 and methane gascosts, CO2 and methane gas
• Initial patents filed in the NetherlandsInitial patents filed in the Netherlands
8. Urban Systems Ecology8. Urban Systems Ecology
• Ubiquitous computingUbiquitous computing• Nanotech sensorsNanotech sensors• Collective IntelligenceCollective Intelligence• To optimize efficiencies with just To optimize efficiencies with just
in time knowledgein time knowledge• City becomes a Conscious-City becomes a Conscious-
Technology Meta-organismTechnology Meta-organism• Resilience Systems for Resilience Systems for
anticipation, identification, anticipation, identification, responseresponse
9. A global collective intelligence for Climate Change
•Options are changing so fast, global updating system is needed
• It should be available the policymakers in a situation rooms
•Feed by experts around the world
•Open to the public
GENIS (Global Energy Network and Information
System)• The Global Energy Network (GEN), providing
communications and collaboration capabilities for a worldwide community of experts and others working on, or concerned with, energy issues;
• The Global Energy Information System (GEIS), a repository (knowledge base) and associated interactive access facility for as much of the world's total knowledge (actual content, pointers to external systems, and ability to mashup from other databases into one integrated set of outputs) about energy as can be accumulated.
10. TransInstitutions structure to 10. TransInstitutions structure to implement the other Stepsimplement the other Steps
1.1. Board/Committee/Council: self-selected Board/Committee/Council: self-selected governments, corporations, NGOs, governments, corporations, NGOs, Universities but not a majority from any one Universities but not a majority from any one institutional categoryinstitutional category
2.2. People who work in it or with it come from all People who work in it or with it come from all these institutional categories, but not a these institutional categories, but not a majority of any onemajority of any one
3.3. Results affect all these institutional Results affect all these institutional categoriescategories
4.4. Income from all these institutional categories Income from all these institutional categories except university (then take not give money)except university (then take not give money)
Summary
1.1. US-China Global Energy StrategyUS-China Global Energy Strategy2.2. Seawater AgricultureSeawater Agriculture3.3. Carbon Sequestration (cut plans for coal Carbon Sequestration (cut plans for coal
plants)plants)4.4. Low cost electric car batteriesLow cost electric car batteries5.5. Solar Power SatellitesSolar Power Satellites6.6. Enhanced GeothermalEnhanced Geothermal7.7. Animal protein without animals via stem cellsAnimal protein without animals via stem cells8.8. Urban Systems EcologyUrban Systems Ecology9.9. Global Climate Change Collective Intelligence Global Climate Change Collective Intelligence 10.10.Trans-Institutions for each stepTrans-Institutions for each step
