 Fig. 1 (Image source: https://www.solarimpulse.com) Having spent the last three days attending the 23rd conference of parties in Bonn, Germany, hosted by Fiji, the message is clear. Our world is in dire need of climate action but what people don’t know is the world already has technology that can be implemented in order to make a difference and cut down on green house gas emission. The future is now! On Monday November 13th, 2017, I had the privilege to attend the “High-Level Opening of Global Climate Action”, featuring the governor of California Jerry Brown, as well as the co-founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation Bertrand Piccard.  Fig. 2 Bertrand Piccard during High Level Opening (11/13/17) This foundation was the first to fly around the world for 40’000 km using a solar powered plane. Meaning, for the first time in history, a flight was made without the use of fossil fuels. One of Piccards main philosophies is that our world has the technology available to act on climate change today, there is no need to wait for “innovation”. We are “wasting energy with devices that cause climate change” as Piccard explained and there is enough innovation to cut CO2 emission in half, with the technology provided TODAY.
Don’t wait for 2050! Throughout this talk it became clear, we should not be waiting for 2050. With the technology provided today, the necessary changes can be made to begin cutting down on green house gas emission. This world has waited long enough for us to fix the damage we have done. As shown in the historic flight by Solar Impulse, the technology is available to act now on climate change. Will you choose to stay in the past, or believe that the future is now? For more information, visit Solar Impulse.
8 Comments
Olivia Hare
15/11/2017 09:08:02 pm
If there is good evidence that we have the ability to cut down on CO2 emission why can't some countries (the US mainly) take the steps to achieve this goal while preserving the business aspect of it?
Hannah Kruelle
16/11/2017 05:15:34 am
Specialists are prisoners of the past, the technology is there however the companies that are used to manufacture the technology are largely funded by government and individuals that are not in favor of change, the leadership in the US has not been in favor for these changes.
Connor Miller
16/11/2017 05:25:37 am
it is a very interesting point, we have so much technology today. Waiting for the "future" can in many situations smiply be an excuse to not act now. The take away that I get from this is that the technology needed to make a difference is here.
Hunter DeBlieu
16/11/2017 06:22:20 am
More flights that do not need fossil fuel is outstanding towards reaching our goal of climate change. With the large amount of gas that normal commercial airliners burn, the more planes that don't require gas, the better.
Ryan Shultz
16/11/2017 06:37:44 am
I believe if we hold ourselves to higher energy standards, we can achieve much greater things. We can achieve much more efficient energy usage. The only thing we have to do is set ourselves to that goal.
Gunnar Nemeth
16/11/2017 09:18:26 am
What would it take for commercial airlines to adopt solar power in their planes? Is the technology even developed for commercial use?
Vicky Brooks
16/11/2017 07:51:45 pm
With just the United States alone, we have so much technology to make differences in the climate, but no one knows how to use it. We can make big changes to improve, even just by changing the little things that we do everyday. I'm positive that we will make a big impact before the year 2050.
Paris Happel
25/11/2017 07:06:51 pm
Our society must take preventative measures in order to decrease the world's dependence on fossil fuels. If we continue to rely on these fuels and produce greenhouse gas emission our environment will be negatively impacted. We must utilize the tools we have developed to prevent climate change and take positive steps towards improving our environment. The technology we currently have available can be utilized to improve our current way of living. A solar powered plane is just one example of how we can decrease reliance on fossil fuels and help save future generations from serious environmental issues. Leave a Reply. |
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