As I understand it, global warming has been caused, or rather, greatly accelerated during the 20th Century. This is primarily as a result of two factors: The exuberant burning of fossil fuels and the widespread deforestation of the planet.
Needless to say the wholesale burning of fossil fuels will not abate until viable, cleaner and economically feasible alternative fuel sources are developed and put into large-scale production, use and dissimulation.
Sad to say, even the arrival of such new fuel alternatives, will not guarantee timely solutions. Industry as a whole may opt not to avail itself of such innovations.
Industry in general has had a long and pathetic history of putting short-term profits ahead of gradually increasing profits, regardless of the cost in terms of human suffering and environmental atrocities.
Therefore, in the event of the arrival of these new alternatives, they would best be ushered in by government intervention. This leads us to another problem. Knowing the pace of red tape and bureaucracy within practically all the governments of the world, not to mention the ethical lapses in bribery and the like, it would be best if earth did not hold its (now toxic) breath for any timely reward.
Not truly optimistic about either the wherewithal of governments or industries, I will change my focus and offer innovative approaches and solutions in the following manner:
My studies have indicated that the percentages of greenhouse gases, (those gases which give rise to global warming) are 75 percent generated by the burning of fossil fuels and 25 percent by deforestation.
I do have some hesitations about even offering solutions. As far back as 2007, the IPCC wrote that no one technology or sector can by completely responsible for mitigating future global warming. My fear is that if one sector should substantially make efforts in reducing global warming, would these simply lead to apathy in other technologies and sectors to forgo the effort and expense? That being said, I will continue. My plans consist of a three-pronged attack, although here I am focusing only on the factor of deforestation.
The lumber, paper, ranching and any other industries that currently benefit and aid in the deforestation of the planet may be powerhouses in themselves, but they are in no way as great and influential as those industries such as manufacturing, chemical and petroleum and other fossil fuels producers. Therefore, more leverage can be more effectively enacted upon them to clean up their act, as it were.
The lands that are already devastated, in all cases, still maintain the capacity to be nursed back to health. What is missing is the call and concerted mission to do so.
Penalties, donations, environmental and volunteer groups, education as well as the industries that caused the deforestation can all be used effectively if, once again, there was a concerted effort to do such. This is the most innovative of my plans. It is one that will require the scientific world to be redirected and truly think outside the box. I will go into some detail of this plan but to suffice, let's just say it is to reclaim what, at least for this era of time, what was never ours.
The world as we are now experiencing it perhaps, barring the Ice Age, consists of more desolate areas than at any other time since the inhabiting of this planet.
Phillip Ghee
Irvine, CA, United States
