Dear Friends, Comrades and Colleagues,
Please sign the petition below urging action to reduce climate catastrophe now.
Though absolutely essential in the long run, zero emissions and negative emissions will not reduce climate disaster until we have significantly reduced GHG accumulation in the atmosphere - hopefully in a few decades.
In the mean time, I don't believe there is any alternative other than direct cooling via some of the methods that have been proposed. These could be wind pumps pumping ice on the Arctic in the winter, Marine cloud brightening efforts over polar regions and coral reefs, and trying out small scale Stratospheric Aerosol Injection and Iron Salt Aerosol if experimental pilot programs look promising, or simply covering an area the size of the state of Kansas with mirrors as Ye Tao has suggested.
We are at 1.2 C warming above pre-industrial, the Arctic summer sea ice (the first climate tipping point) is melting - at current trends a "blue ocean" event may occur before the end of this decade, and overall climate and biosphere are unraveling. We urgently need cooling to below 1 C.
As this petition states:
"Although it is critical to reduce GHG emissions and remove CO2 and methane as much and as soon as possible, GHG emissions reduction and removal alone will not rescue us from the climate emergency. Continued warming from legacy emissions and ocean heat, and the lead time required to replace infrastructure will mean the transition to climate stability will not be completed for at least several decades.
The three-pronged approach to limit global warming to well below 1°C -- direct cooling, GHG emissions reduction, and GHG removal -- will prevent catastrophic and irreversible damage to critical natural and human systems and return the Earth to an enduring state that can recreate a healthy, stable, bio-diverse, and productive climate. This is the legacy we owe our children, our grandchildren, current and future generations, and all life on our planet."
In Solidarity, Ron
Sign the petition here.