Scientists' Warning on Technology

Climate Emergency Forum discusses a paper titled "Scientists Warning on Technology" published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. The paper highlights the double-edged nature of technology.

This video was recorded on April 17th, 2024, and published on May 5th, 2024, and represents the opinions of the discussion participants.

While technology holds immense potential for addressing climate change through electrification, renewable energy, and AI-driven solutions, certain technologies can also cause harm to the climate and habitats. The authors warn that harmful technologies should be phased out, and future technologies must be approached with caution to mitigate unintended consequences.

The urgent need for a "Manhattan Project" level of effort to rapidly develop and deploy technologies that can cool the planet and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is emphasized. Merely reducing emissions is insufficient, and a complete conversion to non-polluting economies is crucial. This would require mobilizing the best scientific minds and resources on an unprecedented scale.

The role of political and economic factors in hindering climate action is also addressed. The discussants criticize the influence of fossil fuel corporations on policymakers and the lack of independence between governments and corporations. They stress the importance of public awareness and individual efforts to drive change, as well as the need for a fundamental shift in societal thinking and intentions.

The paper's omission of climate interventions like carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management is touched upon. While these technologies are gaining mainstream attention, the panel cautions against assuming they will provide a silver bullet solution, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and cautious approach.

Links:
- Scientists’ Warning on Technology

- Unprecedented Crime

- Manhattan Project

- Global Warming in the Pipeline and Earth's Energy Imbalance (CEF Video)

- Planet Under Siege (CEF Video)

- Ecosystem Restoration Communities Update (CEF Video)

- Net Zero by 2050 - Analysis

- United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

- Eco Grief (CEF Video)

- I = PAT

- Global Tipping Points Report 2023

Regular Panelists:
Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute

Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa's Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University

Regina Valdez - Program Director, Climate Reality Project, NYC. GreenFaith Fellow and LEED Green Associate

Video Production and Panelists:
Charles Gregoire - Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth & the Climate Emergency Forum; Climate Reality Leader

Heidi Brault - Video production and website assistant, Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP team lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum; BA (Psychology); Climate Reality Leader

Our Website:

Attributions:
Background Music:
- Title: Through the City II
- Author: Crowander
- Source: Free Music Archive
- License: CC BY-NC 4.0

[arturschmid]

Your Forum is great, but please stop telling that politicians finally must wake up. . . THE ARE AWAKE, but they are not on our side, they do whatever lobby wants them to do. Waiting for politicians is lost time.

[Zankras]

Discussing electric vehicles as a viable alternative is crazy when we could have trains, buses, and bicycles instead. All cars are catastrophic for the environment and their use needs to be heavily regulated. They're just too inefficient at moving people for the state the climate is in.

[OurPredicament]

every technology, when scaled, causes more problems than it solves

[garyjohnson]

The only way to make the necessary changes in time to avert chaos, due to looming climate environmental disaster, is to end capitalism or current capitalistic system, in my opinion…

[davehendricks]

I say forget politician’s wearing t-shirts. Take the damn money OUT OF POLITICS. Period.

[coweatsman]

I doubt the renewables are going to do it. We need to reduce energy use, energy from any source, clean, dirty, finite or renewable. Developing new tech will mean more energy being used. In the past we have solved every problem by throwing more energy at it. Today's problems come from using too much energy. We can have a green economy but not this one but a smaller economy and a no growth economy with a smaller population. Continuing BAU is NOT the biggest priority but the biggest problem. In fact we will have to abandon BAU. This is what technological bargaining, worshipping the magical technological fairy godmother is all about, continuing BAU, not stopping climate change.

[Glenn_Ratcliffe]

Our Australian government talks of uninvented Co2 capture tech.... 🤮

[Lyra]

Simon Michaux has demonstrated that the mining requirements for the on-going and future green industries is orders of magnitude greater than the current mining levels. Furthermore, there probably are not sufficient reserves of rare earth metals, copper and lithium, that can be mined at affordable prices (in terms of both energy and money) to create the renewable future we are told we need.

However, this 'green revolution' will be pursued and, as Nate Hagens points out, we will turn much of the planet in to Mordor in our determination to maintain our profligate, high consumption and wasteful modern lifestyles.

[BekkaPoo]

I pray for the rewilding and degrowth of extractive economies so that we can do as much as possible to save what is left of this world.

[richdiana]

We're deep into human overshoot. All is lost.

[TennesseeJed]

Mechanical carbon dioxide sequestration is not possible without using all or more energy than the hydrocarbons gave out initially. It is just the way thermodynamics is, and anyone telling you different is a huckster

[keef.systems]

Three simple and cheap solutions are here:

1) go vegan
2) sand batteries for communities
3) hemp grown to capture CO2

[nsbdnow]

Hello fellow realists 'n doomsters aware of what is coming our way... _faster than expected!_

[iczgighost]

Let's be totally honest. Our dependence on fossil fuels extends far beyond simply generating electricity. Modern civilization is fundamentally built upon materials like cement, steel, plastic, and fertilizer, all of which currently require fossil fuels for their production. We simply lack readily available alternatives for these essential components.

See youtube videos by Art Berman like "Getting Honest About the Human Predicament" and many others. Art Berman is an earth scientist with over 40 years of experience in the energy sector who wants to move away from fossil fuels as much as anybody.

[quintama]

As the technology advances and it becomes more efficient, the expenditure of energy increases therefore the destruction. It's called Jevons Paradox.

[reedforrest]

You wrote about these needs in 2018 which you are here discussing in 2024 saying it's a good thing we're having these discussions because we need to make these changes - but Sheesh does anything ever reach the drawing table. How many numerous jet flight conferences on preplanning yada yad yada...

[freeheeler]

Good talk per usual. My one comment is that we still. Have to talk about human overpopulation. We won’t make even a small dent in the species extinction and habitat destruction rates, in water and food shortages and the resulting social instability and resource wars, In pollution, or poverty. And without implementation of family planning and the distribution of billions of condoms, we won’t slow the climate crisis.

[brianwheeldon]

I agree with all you have said Regina, Peter and Paul. What about the corporatised-political fiancialised-economics of it all? That and that only is what is preventing us from taking the actions we know to be right. With that in mind and on a note of sanity, the one thing we all need to do and support right now is getting on board with taking action. Words are fine, but politicians and corporations only laugh and disregard as they've done for 30 years. What I want to say is that Återställ Våtmarker- the JustStopOil A22 group in Sweden 'Restore Wetlands, Sweden has declared victory on their dilemma demand'. After 2 relentless years on the road, in the media, in prison and out on the wetlands - they have publicly announced victory on Monday 22nd of April causing a further big splash in Swedish politics and society. This is what we need worldwide, or in enough global north countries to make a difference and to keep going as hard as we are each able to change the immoral-criminal political near homogeneous system we have had foisted on us. We thought we were voting for democracratically elected parliaments. But we never were! Keep on keeping on Climate Emergency Forum.

[edtremblay]

Thanks for all of your time and energy spent on all the awesome conversations about our climate catastrophe. Thanks for information.

[coweatsman]

Paul mentions "doomerism". I like what the late great Michael Dowd spoke of as "post doom, no gloom". Being afraid of what does not feel good can colour our judgement.