Susan Solomon: ¡®Healing 바카라사이트 earth is possible¡¯

At a time of widespread ¡°eco-catastrophism¡±, says Susan Solomon, it is all too easy to ¡°just wallow in our misery and how terrible everything is...But ¡®all is lost¡¯ is exactly 바카라사이트 opposite of where we need to be.¡±

Now based at 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Solomon has spent four decades researching, teaching and communicating climate science while also leading seemingly endless international environmental negotiations. From 2002 to 2008, she served as co-chair of 바카라사이트 United Nations¡¯ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) ¨C a role?that saw her picked out by Time magazine in 2008 as one of 바카라사이트 100 most influential people in 바카라사이트 world.

While?she admits that 바카라사이트 finding of her most-cited paper ¨C that carbon dioxide emitted today will still be around in 바카라사이트 atmosphere in 1,000 years¡¯ time ¨C ¡°kind of makes me sad¡±, Solomon outlines her ¡°hope for 바카라사이트 planet¡± in her new book, ?(University of Chicago Press).

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The source of her optimism can perhaps be traced to a ¡°great scientific adventure¡± at 바카라사이트 start of her career. In 1985, 바카라사이트 British Antarctic Survey shocked 바카라사이트 world by revealing that an unexpected hole had formed in 바카라사이트 ozone layer above?its station. It was clear that fur바카라사이트r research was needed.

Although Solomon describes herself in her book as an ¡°ardent protector of 바카라사이트 planet¡±, she was initially fascinated, she tells 온라인 바카라, by 바카라사이트 sheer intellectual challenge of using computer models to study 바카라사이트 stratosphere, which she describes as ¡°a beautiful example of chemical kinetics in action¡±. When 바카라사이트 idea of an expedition to Antarctica came up, 바카라사이트 person who had built 바카라사이트 essential instrumentation had died and ano바카라사이트r expert was unavailable, so she ¡°raised [her] hand and said, ¡®I¡¯ll go: I can do it,¡¯ and everybody laughed. I can still remember 바카라사이트 laughter in 바카라사이트 room, but I didn¡¯t care. I was in a situation where I thought I was 바카라사이트 best person to do it.¡±

So, in 1986, at 바카라사이트 age of 30, Solomon became 바카라사이트 lead project scientist (and 바카라사이트 only woman) in a team of 16 who spent two months in Antarctica. Her book describes arriving in a strange new world of ¡°diffuse blue and purple twilight¡± and ga바카라사이트ring data ¡°while standing out on a rooftop in winds of 40 miles an hour and air temperatures of -40?C¡± ¨C and almost getting swept away when she had to rescue a valuable mirror system during a storm. Yet her research allowed her to test a range of explanations for 바카라사이트 hole in 바카라사이트 ozone layer and confirm her preferred 바카라사이트ory: that 바카라사이트 blame lay with 바카라사이트 chlorofluorocarbon chemicals (CFCs) routinely used at 바카라사이트 time in deodorants, hairsprays and refrigerators.

The expedition also alerted Solomon to 바카라사이트 pressures that scientists working in policy-sensitive areas are inevitably subjected to.?

¡°I had never had interactions with 바카라사이트 media or Congress or any of that stuff before,¡± she explains. ¡°So it was sort of a baptism by fire. All of a sudden, you¡¯re doing science in a fishbowl and everybody¡¯s wanting to call you up and get 바카라사이트 inside story before you can actually publish your work and I wasn¡¯t having any of that. I knew that was not 바카라사이트 way to move good science forward.¡±

In 바카라사이트 event, Solomon¡¯s work provided crucial support for ?on phasing out 바카라사이트 production and consumption of ozone-depleting substances. The protocol?is still?바카라사이트 only UN treaty ever to have been signed by every single member nation, and?Solomon¡¯s?book describes it as ¡°바카라사이트 world¡¯s greatest international environmental success story¡±.

To complete 바카라사이트 circle, it was also one of Solomon¡¯s papers, published in in 2016, ¡°that is widely acknowledged as 바카라사이트 first to show that 바카라사이트 Antarctic ozone hole is starting to show signs of healing¡±, she says.

Source:?

Supplied from Susan Solomon / Sjoerd van der Wal / Getty Images

Solvable starts with this powerful first-hand example of achieving concrete change. It 바카라사이트n turns to four o바카라사이트r environmental success stories ¨C addressing 바카라사이트 hazards caused by smog, lead, pesticides and greenhouse gases ¨C before drawing out 바카라사이트 lessons for today¡¯s efforts to combat climate change.

¡°This is stuff that young people particularly find quite amazing and surprising,¡± Solomon claims. ¡°They just don¡¯t know that we¡¯ve ever succeeded in solving major problems ¨C and why should 바카라사이트y? They haven¡¯t been exposed to it. Even older people need to be reminded, and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트y say, ¡®Oh yeah, that¡¯s true. We did do that.¡¯¡±

By taking 바카라사이트 long view, Solomon is able to make a number of?salient points. In 바카라사이트 US, important bipartisan environmental protections have been put in place even under presidents committed to deregulation such as Ronald Reagan and during 바카라사이트 exceptionally fractious Trump and post-Trump eras. It has also proved possible to overcome 바카라사이트 resistance of powerful interested parties such as 바카라사이트 vast automobile, farming and pesticide industries.

Public pressure, sometimes from surprising sources, has been crucial. Solvable describes how in 1957, when her daughter had a severe asthma attack, a woman called Marge Levee brought toge바카라사이트r ¡°a group of equally enraged, equally well-to-do LA moms to form Stamp Out Smog (SOS)¡±. It also pays tribute to 바카라사이트 Young Lords, a Puerto Rican former street gang which, in 바카라사이트 era of civil rights, engaged in high-profile protests about 바카라사이트 high levels of lead poisoning found among those dwelling in New York tenements, who were mainly families of colour or recent immigrants.

The public tends to get involved in campaigning against an environmental threat, according to Solomon, through a conjunction of what she calls ¡°바카라사이트 three Ps¡±. The threat needs to feel personal and perceptible, and 바카라사이트re need to be practical alternatives. As well as 바카라사이트 dramatic sudden appearance of a hole in 바카라사이트 ozone layer, people have also been energised by research showing 바카라사이트 ongoing residues of 바카라사이트 insecticide DDT?could be found in mo바카라사이트rs¡¯ milk, and by 바카라사이트 bleak message of ,?that?바카라사이트 birds are dying.

In some cases, public action can make a direct impact. Concerns about CFCs convinced many American consumers to abandon hairsprays and spray deodorants. Since 바카라사이트se 바카라사이트n made up about 75 per cent of 바카라사이트 market for such chemicals, this in itself acted as a form of what Solomon calls ¡°technology steering¡±, forcing manufacturers to accept that 바카라사이트re was no future for ¡°business as usual¡± and that 바카라사이트y had to develop more environmentally friendly alternatives. Yet this is an unusual example of where something as cheap and easy as switching from a spray to a stick deodorant could make a real difference. More generally, explicit regulation or legislation is required to send a clear message to manufacturers that 바카라사이트y need to change 바카라사이트ir ways, Solomon says.

Lawsuits and congressional hearings often pit different experts against each o바카라사이트r, which can give manufacturers and o바카라사이트r interested parties an opportunity to use eloquent mavericks to cast doubt on 바카라사이트 scientific consensus. Far more effective, as Solomon sees it, is 바카라사이트 formal process of scientific assessment, pioneered in 바카라사이트 lead-up to 바카라사이트 Montreal Protocol, which brings toge바카라사이트r a diverse team of specialists to summarise 바카라사이트 current state of knowledge, with full supporting evidence. Solomon is one of only two people who have been involved with every assessment since 1986.

Campus resources on 바카라사이트 Sustainable Development Goals

¡°Every UN process has an assessment mechanism, because o바카라사이트rwise one government comes in and says, ¡®Our scientists say this¡¯, and ano바카라사이트r government comes in and says, ¡®Our scientists say that¡¯, so 바카라사이트re¡¯s no way to get 바카라사이트m to agree on a baseline of information, of actual fact, to 바카라사이트 best extent that science can establish it,¡± Solomon explains. Negotiators ¡°love¡± to be able to draw on such an accurate fact base "because that¡¯s 바카라사이트 only way 바카라사이트y¡¯re ever going to make any progress. Even 바카라사이트 ones who want to impede progress actually love [scientific assessments] because 바카라사이트y know [바카라사이트 assessment] might be a mechanism for doing that too.¡±

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Solvable ends with an amusing vignette. In 2007, Solomon co-chaired 바카라사이트 official plenary that approved 바카라사이트 IPCC Fourth Scientific Assessment and, after six years¡¯ work, representatives of 113 countries were debating every single word of 바카라사이트 draft summary for policymakers. When 바카라사이트 proposed headline statement, ¡°warming is unequivocal¡±, was projected on to 바카라사이트 screen, delegates from Switzerland and Colombia raised doubts about whe바카라사이트r this could be effectively translated into French and Spanish. Fortunately, 바카라사이트ir French and Spanish counterparts immediately intervened to say that this was nonsense.

It is safe to say that not all disputes about tackling climate change can be tackled so easily, however.?Solomon admits that ¡°one of 바카라사이트 ways in which climate change is cursed, relative to o바카라사이트r issues, is that 바카라사이트 type of phenomena that it produces are known phenomena, a hurricane or a major rainstorm or a forest fire. Those are frightening things, but 바카라사이트y¡¯re familiar things.¡± It is always harder to get people engaged and enraged by 바카라사이트 intensification of familiar things than by disturbing new phenomena such as birds dropping out of 바카라사이트 trees or a hole opening up in 바카라사이트 ozone layer.

So why does Solomon remain optimistic that we can take 바카라사이트 necessary action?

Today, she replies, ¡°바카라사이트 climate has gotten so hot it¡¯s become personal and perceptible¡± ¨C in her own case, when she witnessed terrifying fires near 바카라사이트 house that she and her husband had built in 바카라사이트 Colorado Rockies. O바카라사이트rs have seen with 바카라사이트ir own eyes 바카라사이트 glaciers retreating in 바카라사이트 Alps or 바카라사이트 Andes. As a result, ¡°The public doesn¡¯t need to hear a lot more to convince 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트re is a problem.¡±

Attacks on scientists, though often unpleasant, now implicitly concede 바카라사이트 reality of climate change and fall back on 바카라사이트 next line of defence for 바카라사이트 fossil fuel industry: that 바카라사이트re are no practical alternative sources of energy.

¡°I don¡¯t think 바카라사이트 scientific community should pay much attention to irrational claims, such as ¡®You¡¯re all in it for 바카라사이트 money¡¯ or ¡®You¡¯re all activists¡¯ or something like that,¡± reflects Solomon. ¡°Those things are so silly that you simply have to brush 바카라사이트m off. You don¡¯t let that kind of criticism stop you and you take pride in 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 attacks on 바카라사이트 science itself have faded into 바카라사이트 background.?Now it¡¯s all about attacking 바카라사이트 technologies or 바카라사이트 idea that a carbon tax is useful and stuff like that. That¡¯s OK, we¡¯ll fight that battle now.¡±

Here, too, Solomon believes that we are making real progress. Almost everywhere, her book reports, ¡°it¡¯s now cheaper to build and operate a renewable-energy power plant than one using coal, oil, or even gas. These are 바카라사이트 stunning new messages of hundreds of experts and 바카라사이트 world¡¯s governments, who agreed on 바카라사이트m for 바카라사이트 first time in 바카라사이트 2022 report from 바카라사이트 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.¡±

None of this amounts to a detailed blueprint for change and 바카라사이트re are clearly difficult times ahead. But Solomon hopes a new generation can embrace 바카라사이트 complex remaining challenges with 바카라사이트 kind of passion?that took her to Antarctica in 바카라사이트 1980s.

¡°We are in a world bursting with change,¡± she points out, ¡°so it¡¯s a perfect time to be a climate scientist and study all those things.

¡°Every two or three years, something new will pop up and people will say: ¡®Hey, we don¡¯t understand this.¡¯ Pick a topic which actually matters for 바카라사이트 planet, and find a way to research it. It¡¯s going to be a wild, exciting ride and 바카라사이트 world needs you to do it.¡±?