Those of us advocating any future climate shift policy revolving around diverse solutions are deeply indebted to this report.  Don’t look for many of these policy course corrections being embraced by our “honorable” representatives in Congress, however. As scientists you may have to accept some rather unpalatable facts. 

Energy conglomerates and the Church [of Bruno’s day] have one common thread: an interest in maintaining the status quo in the name of revenue. 

Is there a rational reason for the United States to be creating military bases throughout South and Central Asia? Is this inane foreign policy not driven by our disastrous energy policy?

In any event, of the 15 possible course corrections mentioned, should not the following be emphasized first and foremost:

14Reduced deforestation and preferably afforestation.  To increase the terrestrial sink capacity by afforestation one must also protect those forests that already exist. 

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/289/5487/2058   

15SoilManagement http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/304/5677/1623   “soil C sequestration improves and sustains biomass/agronomic productivity ….has the potential to offset fossil-fuel emissions by 0.4 to 1.2 Gt C/year, or 5 to 15% of the global emissions.. … [and] the close link between soil C sequestration and world food security on the one hand and climate change on the other can neither be overemphasized nor ignored.”

13Biofuels  http://www.jackherer.com/ <P

10Wind electricity

01Improved fuel economy

03More efficient buildings 

02Reduced reliance on cars

011Photovoltaic electricity

04Improved power plant efficiency

05Substituting natural gas for coal

The remaining solutions are most likely useful if they are not subsidized while forests are still being incinerated.  6,7,8,12

Homo sapiens already has the “tech” to sequester carbon.  Fast growing species fix carbon quickly and efficiently.  These can be transformed into organic carbon, biofuels, paper, furniture, …a virtual endless list of sinks. 

Kerry and Bush represent a threat, in that neither will make the fundamental changes needed at this point in spacetime as far as any future United State’s Climate Shift Policy is concerned.  The situation can be remedied easily as this [most excellent] article points out, but the status quo is entrenched and the source of our currents wars.  As scientists, you will have to fight an old battle to create sanity.

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