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You are here: Home 2010 Weekly Sessions Session 13– 12.06.2010 Core questions of sustainability science (Speaker: Bill Clark) Supplemental readings from the Reader Socolow, R., R. Hotinski, J. B. Greenblatt, and S. Pacala. 2004. Solving the climate problem. Environment 46(10):8-19.
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Socolow, R., R. Hotinski, J. B. Greenblatt, and S. Pacala. 2004. Solving the climate problem. Environment 46(10):8-19.

3.3.2 ADDRESSING GRAND CHALLENGES: Slowing climate change Human-induced climate change is endangering food security, raising sea-level rise and accelerating erosion of coastal zones, and increasing the intensity of natural disasters, species extinction, and the spread of vector-borne diseases. More serious and abrupt climate changes are also possible making climate change one of the most critical global challenges of our time. The main approach to reducing this threat include policies and technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions (mitigation) and policies and technologies that improve the capacity of nature and society to adapt to inevitable climate changes (adaptation). A third approach, just being discussed and explored, seeks to change fundamental processes such as photosynthesis or the radiative balance affecting climate change (geoengineering). The Reading addresses climate change through fifteen alternatives, each of which reduces greenhouse gasses by a billion tons of carbon per year. They include energy conservation, renewable energy and fuels, enhanced natural sinks, and carbon capture and storage. Seven of these would be required for stabilizing emissions over the next fifty years.

Socolow_etal_2004.pdf — PDF document, 878Kb