Tech can’t solve climate problems

Monash University Science Alert 20 Oct 10;

Policy makers are too reliant on technological fixes to solve current climate change problems, according to a new book written by Monash University engineering academics Patrick Moriarty and Damon Honnery.

Released last week, Rise and Fall of the Carbon Civilisation outlines the view that the problems the globe faces in climate change are serious and potential courses of action are limited, but policy makers are overly-optimistic in their belief that technological fixes can solve the climate change problem.

"Technology functions as the modern equivalent of magic," Dr Moriarty said.

In their book the authors review many of the major options for climate mitigation including renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean coal, nuclear energy, geosequestration and geoengineering and find that no combination of these can achieve what is needed.

"We can achieve many things through our use of technology, but this problem is bigger than anything we have faced to date - and time is against us," Associate Professor Honnery said.

The authors argue that the world will soon need to move to a carbon-neutral civilisation because of a combination of serious environmental and resource challenges, including climate change and the depletion of conventional fossil fuels.

"The question the world must address is: how can we reduce consumption while at the same time improve equity in global energy and resource allocation?" Associate Professor Honnery said.

The authors argue that high-energy consuming countries will have to adopt alternative social practices to reduce their consumption, rather than look to technological or economic 'quick fixes'.

"The climate problem and our lack of real progress in mitigating it is a direct consequence of our global economic system," Dr Moriarty said.

"Solving the climate problem will require us to completely alter the way we run our economies. While important, carbon taxes are only transitional instruments to the deeper changes needed," Dr Moriarty said.

The authors remain positive that change can be made.

"It's not too late to try and salvage the damage that has been done, but magic is not the answer - we need to drastically change our behaviour to get any significant changes," Dr Moriarty said.

But the authors warn that unless we make these changes our generation may be the first to leave a plundered and degraded planet as an enduring legacy to future generations.