Why Technology Alone Won’t Stop Climate Change

Hira Majhi bathes, defecates, and drinks from the Baghmati River in Dhanaur, India. He belongs to a low caste group commonly known as musahars, or the rat eaters, who sit lowest on the river. Mr. Majhi is the most vulnerable to the annual floods that kill harvests, cattle, and people. “Their vulnerability is likely to grow,” said Somini Sengupta, a New York Times writer who reported on Mr. Majhi. Indian scientists believe heavy monsoon rains over India have become more common due to global warming (Revkin, 2007). The effects of climate change are increasingly dramatic in many parts of the world every year.

The need for effective solutions is inevitable and the debate over which solution is the best continues. Economists argue that technology will overcome environmental problems, but geologists disagree (Hall, 2009). Today, the proposed technological solutions to climate change support the latter group. The future technological solutions to climate change are problematic, and their beneficial as well as depraved consequences are unknown. Even current technological solutions are troubled as they attempt to expand.

Hence, the world cannot solely rely on technology. Effective climate change solutions that do not rely on technology are needed, and include youth environmental education as well as appeals to conformity, such as community report cards and mobilization campaigns.

Future technological solutions to climate change have several problems and their consequences are not well understood. The obstacles of proposed solutions such as space-based solar power, S.S.P., and carbon-absorbing algae are numerous. S.S.P. involves launching satellites into space equipped with massive photovoltaic arrays that convert sunlight into electricity (Kolbert, 2005). Sunlight is more concentrated and constant in set, but its complications are enough to keep the project from happening. The cost of launching satellites is tremendous and getting the energy back down to earth is difficult. Therefore, the true valid consequences remain unknown.

Carbon-absorbing algae is another biotechnological solution that has produced inconclusive experimental results. Marine animals may eat the abundant algae and release carbon dioxide in the air (Hearn, 2009). The consequences may be more damaging than helpful. Severe ecosystem imbalances may occur from this and ultimately backfire the solution as a result. The fix may be to use different types of algae that are not eaten by marine animals. But scientists still do not know if carbon-absorbing algae would have a important impact on climate change.

The expansion of fresh technological solutions such as wind power, carbon capture, and land-based solar power also face challenges. Planned wind power developments are confronted with local opposition from neighboring residents. The Cape Wind Project for example, “would generate 75 percent of all the energy feeble on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and Cape Cod” (Jermanok, 2009). However, the Alliance to Protect the Nantucket Sound is fighting the wind farm due to tourism, marine life, migratory bird, and scenery concerns. The opposition is nearly slowing progress to a halt.

Carbon capture storage, or C.C.S., is another technological solution used to combat climate change. However, the technology’s uncertainties prevent its expansion. C.C.S. involves the capture of CO2 at the source, such as a power plant, and the injection of the gas underground. But scientists are not clear the gas will remain there permanently (Kolbert, 2005). The costs of C.C.S. are also high. Electricity bills may increase as a result of getting electricity from a carbon capture storage plant. Future and current technological solution to climate change are problematic, and their consequences are not fully understood. Effective climate change solutions that do not rely on technology like youth education, and appeals to conformity, such as community represent cards and mobilization campaigns, are needed instead.

Youth environmental education is a potential solution to effectively battle climate change. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum also understood the potential of children education in order to solve the lack of cosmopolitanism attitudes in society. “As students here grow up, [they should instead be] taught that they are, above all, citizens of a world of human beings” (Nussbaum, 1996). Her thought, foremost, was educating the youth.

Bruce Keillor, author of Marketing in the 21^st Century, realized the implications of youth education on environmentalism. Keillor said, “As [children] internalize the attitudes and practice the behaviors, the trend will become institutionalized in American society”(Keillor, 2007). He believed that children taught in school to become “environmental stewards” would share the information with their family members and positively influence the family’s environmental attitudes.

The case of five-year-old Rosa from Bristol, United Kingdom supports Keillor’s presumption. Rosa attends a school that is a member of the Eco-Schools Program, which was established at the 1994 Rio Earth Summit. The result is a girl who is outspoken about many environmental concerns. Rosa’s father said, “In the past six months I have been confronted by Rosa, who’s like a recalcitrant, chubby-cheeked mayoress of an eco-town, over several environmental issues” (Odell, 2009). This is an explicit example of how youth environmental education is an effective solution to global warming. With the help of ubiquitous environmental education, there is potential for the occurrence of many more internally driven cases, and the eventual development of a “green” generation.

Appeals to conformity, such as community report cards are also potential solutions to effectively combat climate change. Conformity involves people who yield to real or fake social pressure (Weiten, 2008). The famous psychologist, Robert Cialdini, described what happens when people think they are out of step with their peers and feel the need to conform. He said it was an “incredibly powerful spur to action” (Grunwald, 2009).

Community report cards and mobilization campaigns create appeals to conformity that have the ability to motivate people to take action. A student’s study at Yale University musty a conformity strategy to increase voter turnout in Michigan. He mailed a community report card to Michigan voters that listed the previous voting records of their neighbors and noted that a follow-up would be sent, indicating who voted this time (Grunwald, 2009). The result was a significantly higher voter turnout. People felt pressured to vote after seeing that they would be compared to their neighbors.

Community report cards can also be used to compel homeowners to take environmental action and save energy. This tactic can represent energy conservation efforts within neighborhoods and communities. Follow-up reports would compare neighbors to neighbors, enforcing conformity.

Another appeal to conformity, such as a mobilization campaign that calls people to retract environmental action, is also a potential and effective solution to climate change. An Oregon county allowed homeowners to improve their insulation at almost no cost, but many still did not replace their insulation. However, a mobilization campaign prompted 85% of the county to change their insulation after Girl Scouts, citizen councils, and churches went door-to-door asking residents why they did not. “What worked was creating a sense that we’re all in this together and you’re a social deviant if you don’t join us,” recalled Ralph Cavanagh of the Natural Resources Defense Council (Grunwald, 2009). Mobilization campaigns that appeal to conformity can effectively begin several energy conservation efforts that fight climate change.

The campaigns may also use media communication to call people to fight global warming. The Gates Foundation in partnership with media giant Viacom, are inserting messages in common shows like “ER” and “Private Practice” that promote health and education (Arango and Stelter, 2009). The topics of these inserted messages include H.I.V. protection and the harmful consequences of dropping out of school. Studies show that this method is effective in conforming public attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, mobilization campaigns that insert environmental messages in popular television can be an effective solution to climate change because of its technological and social aspects.

The future and current technological solutions of climate change are not dependable because they are problematic and have many unknown consequences. As a result, effective climate change solutions that are not based in technology are also needed. They include youth environmental education and appeals to conformity, such as community picture cards and mobilization campaigns. These solutions have proven their effectiveness for other purposes. Therefore, their potential for environmental goals may be tremendous.

The consequences of climate change encompass a global issue that depends on how noteworthy we prepare now. Solutions need to be implemented as quickly as possible because the people living come the Baghmati River are depending on it.

Tim Arango and Brian Stelter, “Messages with a Mission, Embedded in TV Shows.” New York Times.

“Can Economic Growth Save the Environment? ” Pacific Ecologist

Michael Grunwald, “How Obama Is Using The Science of Change.” Time Magazine.

Charles Hall, “OIL: Nature’s Premium Fuel.” Global Community Lecture Series at Maxwell School of Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY. 15 Apr. 2009.

Kelly Hearn, “Huge Man-Made Algae Swarm Devoured–Bad for Climate? ” National Geographic.

Stephen Jermanok, “Second Nature.” Arrive Magazine.

Bruce D. Keillor, Marketing in the 21st Century [Four Volumes] (Praeger Perspectives). Vol. 1. New York: Praeger, 2007.

Elizabeth Kolbert, “The Climate of Man–III; Annals of Science.” The Modern Yorker.

Martha C. Nussbaum, “Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism.” Beacon Press.

Michael Odell, “So, how many trees have you planted, Daddy? ” The Observer.

Andrew C. Revkin, “Reports From Four Fronts in the War on Warming.” New York Times.

Wayne Weiten, Psychology Themes and Variations. 7th ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning, 2008.