When Princeton Professor Robert Socolow came out with his theory of Wedges to combat climate change, I loved it for a very silly reason. He proposed attacking the problem with a combination of existing technologies. Of nine available to us, any combination of seven would do the trick. Why did I get such a kick out of this? There was a character on Starship Enterprise, a Borg, called Seven of Nine.
I admit that’s terribly silly, but it was a good way to remember the plan.
Socolow’s theory has not gotten the attention it deserved. Because the technology for mitigation exists, costs of his proposal are lower than predicted for other plans and changes could start immediately.. What is most pertinent, and needs consideration, Socolow recommended a multi-pronged approach. Instead, the pressure to bring improvement has focused on one measure only–carbon taxing– which seems to be possible because it works within the framework of business thinking. Need it be said, that one goal of taxing carbon emissions has not been widely adopted. So the business and governmental forces supposedly working on this have chosen one pathway and then stalled on implementing that.
Time is important in dealing with climate change, and the sooner the better. Some time ago, the concerned community stopped talking about halting global warming and began instead to speak of accommodation. They are saying we are Al Gore’s frog in the boiling pot, just getting used to the heat.
I am hoping it is not so. I would like to see the community affected by environmental issues (that’s everyone) and its representatives take a good look at Socolow’s work. See Carbon Mitigation Initiative and the Stabilization Wedge Game.
Nevertheless.blog 