To rein in global warming, healthy forests and sustainable diets are key, U.N

Re:To rein in global warming, healthy forests and sustainabl... by jvanderbot on Thursday August 08, 2019 @10:27AM (#20644888)

In the book Drawdown, the top 10 best ways to combat climate change are:

1. Better refrigerant management, b/c refrigerants release significant potent GHG

2. Wind turbines to offset oil/gas

3. Reduced food waste

4. Plant-rich diet

5. Better tropical forest health

6. Better education for girls

7. Better family planning options

8. Solar Farms

9. Silopasture (forested and mixed agriculture plots)

10. Rooftop Solar

The list of top 50 continues cycling at about that frequency through unexpected engineering problems (e.g., 1), social issues (e.t. 3,6), and traditional O&G replacements (e.g., 10).

Saying this or that is the solution is just dumb. Saying it's "key" doesn't necessarily mean it's "the only keystone", I'd hope.

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Re:To rein in global warming, healthy forests and sustainabl... by nexensis on Thursday August 08, 2019 @10:54AM (#20645132)

The reason it's 'key' is because adopting a plant-rich diet and reducing food waste are pretty much the only items on this Top 10 list that any individual regardless of location can decide to act upon right now.

Given that agriculture generates ~24% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions including ~48% of global methane emissions, it's a good start that gets individuals thinking conciously about their impact and encourages more action at the grassroots level.

Of course the other issues are just as urgent but those are altered by innovation and governments through taxes and legislation, which can be pushed along with the support of a more climate-concious society.

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Re:To rein in global warming, healthy forests and sustainabl... by jvanderbot on Thursday August 08, 2019 @11:15AM (#20645328)

I read you.

There's a nit pick that rooftop solar is probably a fine individual choice, but there are complicating factors and a high upfront cost.

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Re:To rein in global warming, healthy forests and sustainabl... by jvanderbot on Thursday August 08, 2019 @11:21AM (#20645365)

I failed to mention that these metrics are in terms of equivalent GT of CO2 reduced globally. There's also a metric of cost vs savings for each. Really a great reference book. For example, onshore wind and solar can save 12 Trillion by 2050 at a net cost of about a Trillion.

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Re:To rein in global warming, healthy forests and sustainabl... by User23 on Thursday August 08, 2019 @12:56PM (#20646213)

In case it's not clear, 6 above will presumably reduce carbon dioxide emissions by reducing female fertility and thus slowing population growth. In fact, 6 and 7 are essentially the same thing.

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