PURPOSE
For a long time, the scientific community has been increasingly concerned about global warming, the root cause of climate change. For example, in 1988, NASA scientist Dr. James Hansen testified before the U.S. Congress that the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was causing the earth’s temperature to increase.
Twenty seven years later, 196 countries signed the Paris Agreement to take action to limit the earth’s temperature increase to no more than 2.0oC, and preferably to 1.5oC. Unfortunately, only two small countries are meeting their objectives under the agreement. Even if all countries meet their objectives, global warming would exceed 2.0oC by the end of this century. The current U.S. administration has announced its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
Part of the problem is that most scientific analysis is inaccessible to a general public that largely does not understand the problem and what can and should be done about it. The public is increasingly concerned but not yet willing to support changes and sacrifices needed to stop global warming. Politicians are unwilling to take actions that aren’t supported by the voting public.
What is net zero?
The purpose of Global Climate Crisis—What To Do About It is to address this problem, first by providing a complete understanding of global warming, with a clear explanation of the science behind climate change. The book contains the facts people need to understand global warming and what can and should be done about it. Second, the book describes alternatives available to us and reviews relevant past successes and failures with lessons learned. The complexities and challenges of dealing with global warming are discussed along with the unique problems of the six countries that are the largest sources of greenhouse gases. Finally, the book includes the necessary action plan and recommended steps that need to be taken by government, the public, and industry.
The major action needing public support is the elimination of the substantial carbon subsidies by imposing a fee on CO2 emissions to generate revenues needed for essential infrastructure investments and the cost of mitigating the unavoidable effects of global warming. Stopping global warming will also require an unprecedented level of cooperation by the world’s leading industrial economies to achieve net-zero emissions.
Global Climate Crisis—What To Do About It is the authors’ contribution to understand and address this problem.