Climate change cannot be solved by one ax out-grinding another — degrowth vs. veganism, simplicity vs. reforestation, carbon-sequestration vs space colonization. On a societal scale, these approaches pit one group against another. They involve big winners and big losers, and the only way to implement them is by authoritarian rule.
There is a better way.
Why do so many people in the world drive cars? Because driving cars made their lives better. There was no big decision to convert to cars. There was no authoritarian saying you needed to drive cars. Rather, people bought and used their cars because they could get places faster and more comfortably, thereby improving their lives.
In societies that are the primary drivers of climate change, cars were adopted incrementally and society developed to support that — improved roads, better bridges, and easier life than managing horses. Adoption of automobile technology became nearly universal in such societies, and the horse and buggy disappeared.
Whether you think this change is good or bad is beside the point — this transition happened organically as people assessed a new technology, decided it was affordable enough to make an overall improvement in their lives, and therefore adopted it nearly universally. This is the kind of change needed to solve climate change — climate-improving technological improvements that make life better so that the technology can be nearly universally adopted.
What technologies make life better?
For most people, colonizing space or the moon isn’t a realistic option. Nor is veganism, simplicity, or degrowth. While some people will see those approaches as making life better, the multitude will not. So, what does work?
First and foremost, electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are an improvement on the internal combustion engine in almost every way — they are faster, simpler, and less expensive to maintain and repair (with approximately 90% fewer parts). The range on a charge is getting better and it is not hard to imagine that new battery technology will eventually extend the range. EVs don’t use gas, so the price of gasoline becomes irrelevant — EV owners have no budget for gasoline at all. All of these features are personal benefits for owners.
Oh, and EVs create no emissions.
Second, consider rooftop solar. A solar array on one’s home or business can often supply all of the building’s energy needs. Initial investments are usually paid back in 3–4 years, and the electricity is free after that for the next 35 years or so. A stable energy supply is maintained by providing excess energy to the grid and taking it from the grid when you need it — kind of like a virtual battery — or by purchasing batteries to store the electricity and provide it back when needed. Current battery options increase the cost substantially, however, so most people connect to the grid. Electric bills disappear with rooftop solar. Building owners profit handsomely when they go solar.
Oh, and rooftop solar provides electricity without emissions.
Third, consider electric appliances. Water heaters, dryers, and heat pumps, for example, can all be electric, and electric versions are simpler and safer than their gas-burning counterparts. Electric versions do not have carbon monoxide risks, they don’t require venting of fumes, and they don’t require gas lines throughout the building. Hence, they are easier to install and maintain, and especially when coupled with rooftop solar, electric appliances are far less expensive to operate.
Oh, and since they don’t burn anything, electric appliances are emissions-free.
Do you see my point yet?
Emissions-free solutions exist in current technologies, but more importantly, the reasons to adopt them are self-evident — not because they are emissions-free, but because these technologies make life better for most people. When you own an EV, a rooftop solar array, and electric appliances, your life will be far better than it is today — less expensive with better performance.
As a result, people will embrace and adopt these technologies. They are exactly what we need. As adoption increases, society will begin to adapt, just as it did when cars became attractive for most people to own. Charging station infrastructure, new building codes to include solar or electric appliances, and the elimination of natural gas infrastructure are all likely to emerge. As they do, adoption will increase again, thereby creating a positive vortex in society.
Our challenge
The challenge is to get that positive vortex spinning. EVs are still relatively rare and charging stations even moreso. The same is true for rooftop solar and electric appliances. If there is a role for government, it is not to impose a degrowth strategy or build a space colony. Government can help by reducing the cost of adoption to make all these benefits obvious. In the US, we have tried to do that but fallen short. Tax credits on EVs and rooftop solar, for example, help wealthy people obtain these benefits, but they are not available to the masses. President Biden’s initiative to build out an EV charging station infrastructure has good intentions, but the stations feature an out-of-date technology. These efforts have failed to get the positive vortex spinning.
We don’t have time to mess around. If the government can reduce the cost of entry for everyone, the remaining benefits are so strong that mass adoption will follow. If there is an advocacy position to take, it should be this one. Government helps make people’s lives better by enabling them to get EVs, rooftop solar, and electric appliances. Now that would be a solution to climate change.
This improvement in life gives technology an edge over all other solutions — people want these changes. As a result, the technologies can be universally adopted, and they will permanently phase out older methods and replace them with emissions-free technologies.
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This post was previously published on Predict.
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