Various solutions have been suggested for mitigating the climate crisis, including emission caps, cutting fossil fuel supply in some way, applying a carbon tax on retail fuel, imposing carbon pricing on industries that go over a predefined emissions target, and carbon capture and storage technology.
All of these have one common flaw, that they allow continued use of fossil fuels to 2050 and beyond, rejecting the desirable result of future carbon neutrality.
Most people are aware that renewable clean energy, using solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy can be easily and rapidly made operational; they produce no carbon emissions, and are far cheaper and more efficient than fossil fuel energy.
It would be theoretically easy to convert 50% of fossil fuel energy to renewables by 2030, and over 90% by 2040.
The only block to implementation is greed, inertia and resistance by both the fossil fuel industry and blind governments.
Some regions are already well underway, including California, most of Europe, and others.
The only question is whether we have already run out of time.
Geoff Strong
Atmospheric/climate scientist
Cowichan Bay