Originally published on the CGS blog on June 17, 2009.
On the 16th of June, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a panel to discuss healthy solutions to climate change with Dr. Paul Esptein and Dr. Amanda Staudt.
The first issue raised was the realization that the current development path exceeds worst-case scenario models that were previously projected. The developing world’s emissions are growing faster than was expected, and the efficiency of carbon sinks (oceans and forests) is less than what was thought. At this rate, the south-west U.S. and other places are on track to become arid, and 50% of the world’s wildlife species will be extinct in the next few years. Dr. Staudt warned that this was the critical moment to avoid many of the irreversible effects of climate change, and she called for solutions such as the provision of wildlife corridors to allow species to migrate when their habitats are threatened, and support for H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act.
Dr. Epstein elaborated on these effects by discussing how they negatively impact our health. Extreme weather events, like droughts and floods, affect the water, soil, animals, and insect breeding grounds, which indirectly harm our health. Increased carbon content reduces crop yields, increases weeds, and also makes some plants poisonous. Other harmful consequences include the release of methane (a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide) from the permafrost in the Arctic, which occurs when the ice melts. The adjoining image shows a professor digging through arctic ice and lighting a flame to demonstrate the methane content in the ice.
Dr. Epstein recommended that we stick to solutions that have been insured against harmful side effects. These include plug-in hybrid electric cars, smart grids, wind energy, solar energy and conservation tillage. However, alternatives such as biofuels, nuclear fission, and carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) should not be developed until further studies and safeguards have been established. For instance, the production of biofuels releases harmful ozone by-products, and CCS leeches arsenic and lead, and disintegrates limestone.
In conclusion, the speakers stressed the urgency of the situation and called for regulation, public-private partnerships, and set rules. Dr. Staudt called this period a historic opportunity for us to change the course of development, and we hope that their perspectives and information on ways to address climate change will be heeded.
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