Time: 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 30th
Join us on: Zoom or YouTube Live
Speaker: Ellen Considine
In December 2020, Massachusetts published the 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap with the goal of combating climate change by reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. How will we reach these goals? This talk will present three tools that may lead the way: batteries, wind power, and new strategies for reducing road traffic. Renewable energy sources are very important and powerful, but the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind does not always blow. We can use batteries to store energy for rainy days, and this lecture will discuss a newer, possibly less expensive type of battery for this purpose. Next, we will highlight the more immediate benefits of the switch towards wind power, including improved air quality and human health well before 2050. However, generating and storing clean energy isn’t the whole solution — we also need to reduce energy waste! The cost of wasted fuel and time because of traffic congestion is about $100 billion per year, so we will also discuss potential strategies to reduce traffic by paying people not to travel.
Welcome blue skies everywhere. So good to see a goal, planning and providing a roadmap. Renewable energy to fuel our future and protect ourselves, our planet and reverse climate change. At present we have battled a pandemic, but have fire, flood and wait for it, next could be famine. Thank you for the opportunity to add some comment. We all need to learn to live with less. Many have done so during our shared pandemic and lockdowns. Each person on the planet needs in my opinion or has to devote some time to this each day. Recycling, planting. 5 minutes per day. Or at least 5 minutes per week. Is the date of net Zero by 2050 too far away? This gives politicians an escape. Someone else will do it. Could we achieve reduction earlier or attempted within the next 10 – 20 years? Climate change is already here. We need to be a step forward, rather than one backward. This is a little like leaving the problem to someone else, hoping they will do something. Think nuclear waste. This has built up since approving uranium mines to export uranium more than 40 years ago. Unconsidered. Legacy nuclear waste with nowhere to go, was then, 40 years away. The problem has arrived. No one provided the legacy waste answer. Everyone is still looking for it. But Governments still do what they wish, and leave legacy problems for solutions tomorrow. These are job making schemes for tomorrow. This is the model mankind has made for himself that I notice. Individuals cannot do anything except protest if business and governments do not act. They have the power. Repair and rehabilitate our environment if affected by mining, industry. Not every country is equal. Some are the factories to the world. Others supply fuels and resources. Populations vary.
I am not sure how appropriate this is to include in our discussion right now. Please add the emissions from war, blasting, polluting and heating our atmosphere. This should be the main reason for banning war, or anyone who has any intention of commencing war. Why is this even allowed? We have a climate crisis. I do not see any climate activists protesting. Any politician or leader who starts a war should be convicted for crimes against our environment, and humankind’s very existence. Nuclear missiles and warheads heading into oceans when they have been tested. No one is concerned. Ask those residing in our oceans? Is this not pollution? Perhaps all worldwide should push to ban weapons that would destroy the environment. Stop making them. Full stop. I would. How can one repair, while others destroy? Maybe they would listen to academics?
Thank you to all those who work hard behind the scenes for the benefit of mankind, his environment and all creatures, flora and fauna, who share it with us. I am writing from Australia.
Science and scientists will save our planet. These hard workers behind our scenes worldwide, in universities, places of academia, and related industry have provided our vaccines for Covid 19 including testing and other modes of fighting this disease and mutants. When most of use were staring at danger and death, just two years ago.
I think we need less cars, rather than four per household to carry one person, as we have in Australia. Now our local intersections and roads, we are told by our governments, need widening, houses and businesses have to be acquired and demolished to do this. People displaced. Perhaps humans need to learn to walk again. The planet is overpopulated. It cannot support more. We need to go backwards, fast. This planet is not man made, even though many think it is. I am an illustrator. Biology and geography have been very useful subjects. All political candidates should have some basic mandatory knowledge of environmental science and the biology of its fragile system. It is showing signs of fatigue. Full of holes (mining) , pollution from emissions, throwaway products, waste, erosion, and general environmental destruction. How far can man do this, for how long? Then we would not have to convince them, when problems arise. Now at saturation point. Industry induced, Climate change.