Scrubbing the skies to remove CO2 seems to be one of the next great ideas currently being promoted in relation to climate change. It seems to make sense. If CO2 as a major green-house gas and being direclty linked with human activity is one of the reasons for global warming, then it seems reasonable that finding a way to remove the excess of CO2 from the atmosphere must surely be a good thing. The Nat Geo article in the August 2010 issue explains some of the ideas behind the proposed technology and shows a method currently being considered. Now while I agree with the idea a few alarm bells began to ring while reading this article and one of my biggest fears became reality in the final paragraph. I shall explain further.
The whole proposal seemed to be an excellent idea but my one big fear was that we would view this technology as a solution rather than part of a cure, and that because we could remove the CO2, then we would not need to change our bad habits. I believed that surely somebody intelligent enough to come up with this technology would not be so short-sighted as to believe their ideas were sufficient, but I was wrong. In the final paragraph of the article are the words “jet travel would become guilt free again. We could keep our cars and gas stations - no need for a whole new hydrogen- or electric powered infrastructure. Subversive thought: We could keep our lifestyles. That’s historically what we’ve done”. Surely we should be looking to the future and making all the changes necessary, not looking to the past, or simply fixing each problem as it arises. Have greater vision and consider many possibilities, even consider how our actions may cause new problems in the future and do something about it now. Just because historically we have always taken one course of action, it does not make it right.
If you read the article you will note that they talk about removing the CO2 and then we can do this with it, or put it there, or store it. Never at any point to they suggest that consideration has been given to the consequences of storing it in one place or another. What would be the long term consequences, would we be passing on new problems. The options they offer may well be viable, they may well be the only ones we have at present, but at the very least show that you are aware that we may be passing on problems for the future by solving our own current ones
Talking of National Geographic, here's another photograph.
And just for any surfers who haven't been surfing recently, i.e. me
Finally:
Look around the day, I’m alive on being around where waves come sailing with curls all flying, yeah I spend a lot of time inside the world of delightful rain and the whirling wind blows its song around the bay, and the wind knows my name.
Peter Howe “I’m alive”
