Action

Question 1

‘solar radiation management’

Answer 1

• Atmospheric engineering: intentionally injecting aerosols (e.g. sulphur) into stratosphere
• Massive reflectors
• Artificially enhancing surface albedo

Question 2

ocean ‘iron fertilization’

Answer 2

• Augment phytoplankton blooms
• Enhancing Co2 absorption drawdown by oceans
• Ecological madness
• Destabilizes trophic webs and PH

Question 3

Solar Refelctors

Answer 3

• Space Based
• Increasing stratospheric aerosol
• Increasing Marine clouds
• Surface albedo

Question 4

Direct CO2 removal

Answer 4

• Technologies to extract carbon and other GHGs from atmosphere and store

Question 5

Negatives of Direct CO2 Removal

Answer 5

• Small number of existing projects
• Would need much more renewable electricity + long-term questions of storage
• Pointless with fossil fuels still present

Question 6

Direct CO2 Removal

Answer 6

• Mixing CO2 with sulphuric acid – trying
  to turn to a soft limestone rock

Question 7

Advocates and CO2 Removal

Answer 7

• Doesn’t diminish the need to reduce fossil fuels ASAP
• Fossil energy reductions on the scale needed not probable
• Too far into the danger zone to not attempt

Question 8

Critics and CO2 Removal

Answer 8

• Massive biophysical risks (e.g. acid rain, ocean food webs, etc.)
• Can obscure other possible routes to rapid GHG emissions reductions and attention to things like inequality, lifestyles, and consumption

Question 9

De Carbonizing Energy Systems

Answer 9

• Pivotal challenges of 21st C
• Fossil Fuels is 80% world consumption
• Must 1/2 by 2030

Question 10

Carbon Capture

Answer 10

• Least effective and most expensive

Question 11

Negatives of Ramping up Nuclear

Answer 11

• Big emissions in construction (including massive volumes of cement)
• Limits to high-grade uranium ore
• Unresolved life-cycle: radioactive waste
• Potential targets of terror and war (e.g. Ukraine)

Question 12

Japan and Germany with Nuclear

Answer 12

• Japan and Germany declining nuclear use since accidents
• Japan thinking of bring nuclear back
• Germany growing solar while declining nuclear
• Coal boom in past decade

Question 13

Renewables rising fast (also led by China)

Answer 13

• Needs to grow much faster
• Expected to grow
• Problem is reducing fossils
• Huge cost improvements for wind and solar energy and battery storage

Question 14

Most consumed Renewable

Answer 14

• Hydro Power
• Maxed out (not counting tidal)

Question 15

China and Renewable

Answer 15

• By far leading manufacturer of solar & wind technologies + increasing capacity the fastest

Question 16

Denmark Wind

Answer 16

• 44% energy 2021
• 100% by 2030
• On shore and off shore wind energy plants

Question 17

Ramping up Renewables

Answer 17

• Need to massively increase electricity generation at sites of optimal solar, wind,
  geothermal and tidal power
• Better building codes to save energy
• Require big political and economic commitments

Question 18

Canada and renewable

Answer 18

• Electricity generation amongst the best of the world
• Potential for more growth
• 60% of renewable is hydroelectricity
• Hydro from Quebec + BC rivers
• Potential for solar and wind

Question 19

Green City

Answer 19

• Freiburg Germany
• 100% renewable energy by 2035
• Doable with technology

Question 20

FDR administrations 1933-43

Answer 20

• Range of federally sponsored programs
• Put millions to work through vast array of public projects

Question 21

European Solar frontier

Answer 21

• Sahara Desert
• Paired with off shore wind

Question 22

Green new deal

Answer 22

• Range of policies that are needed to rapidly reduce carbon emissions while building good jobs and public services

Question 23

DE-CARBONIZING ELECTRICITY GRIDS

Answer 23

• Manufacturing and installing solar panels, wind turbines, lithium batteries, etc
• Expanding and refurbishing grids + storage capacity
• Renewable energy systems tend to be better for job
  creation

Question 24

RETROFITTING BUILDING STOCK

Answer 24

• Enhance energy and water efficiency in public and private sector
• Potential to decentralize electricity supply
• Dispersed EV charging stations

Question 25

Massie expansions of public transit

Answer 25

• Manufacture of rail, light rail, and electrified buses
• A lot of jobs and energy potential

Question 26

Public service

Answer 26

• Health care, education, child care, elder care
• UK plans to turning health service to net zero

Question 27

Recreational spaces

Answer 27

• Expansions of urban parks +temples of public luxury
• Enhancing health and reducing the need to travel as much

Question 28

Housing

Answer 28

• Dense social housing: ensuring affordable and safe highest efficiency standards

Question 29

US and Electricity

Answer 29

• At present, <2.5% of electricity
• Electricity generation potential from feasible building integrated PV is 60% of current total US electricity demands
• Covering all parking lots in the US with 15% PV modules could produce amount of electricity equal to current total electricity demand.

Question 30

How do we pay for it?

Answer 30

• Wealth of 2153 billionaires > 4.6 Billion people
• Unequal responsibility

Question 31

Reducing the scale of consumption

Answer 31

US and Canada among highest per capita energy consumption and emissions

Question 32

Contraction

Answer 32

• Small & rapidly shrinking carbon budgets
• Atmospheric space: at most, ~400 B tonnes
  (i.e. most needs to be made ‘unburnable’)

Question 33

Convergence

Answer 33

• Central role of global equity in mitigation
  ‘technology will never deliver in isolation. It
  is a prerequisite condition, but not enough
• Also need to challenge consumption
  norms, esp. in high-income countries

Question 34

Constellation of social movements struggling to:

Answer 34

• Raise attention in popular consciousness
• Put issues on political agendas – and keep them there
• Influence decision-making from individuals to governments
• No tactical movement