Over the centuries, mankind has faced numerous disasters – wars, famine, plagues, earthquakes, hurricanes and more. Yet, terrible as they were, none of these has ever seriously threatened the existence of man kind as a species.
A polar bear attempts to relocate himself after his territory vanished.
Global warming is a threat taken to a whole new level. It is a planet-wide calamity with potential effects on such a scale that it threatens every living thing on earth – including the life form that caused it: man.
Evidence of global warming – once considered fringe science – is now well understood and overwhelming. Average temperatures are increasing at a noticeable rate. Glaciers are receding. Ocean levels are rising. Hurricanes are increasing in destructive power. Dry zones are getting dryer while wet areas get wetter. In less than a decade, if nothing is done, the pace of climate change will accelerate to a point that it will become irreversible, a “runaway greenhouse” in the parlance of the scientific community.
Something must be done. But what?
- The single biggest contributor to global warming is the burning of fossil fuels and production of carbon byproduct. If fuels could be burned more efficiently, with less waste, that would reduce the amount of airborne carbon and slow the pace of climate change. That’s a start.
- Another important step would be to find alternative sources of clean, replenishable energy. Solar power has long been seen as the quintessential replenishable resource. But to date is has been expensive to capture sunlight and produce power, particularly in the extreme northern and southern latitudes.
- A third component of the solution would be to address the growing crisis in clean, drinkable water – a sad effect of the rise in global temperatures. While not decreasing global warming itself, clean water technology would ease the effects of climate change on some of the world’s most disadvantaged populations.
What we can do
Global Warming Solutions' goal is to bring to market technological solutions that address all three of these major areas with innovative approaches that have the potential to change the tide of global warming. These technologies may one day contribute towards averting climate disaster on an unprecedented scale.