Universities must embrace technological solutions to climate change

The University of Cambridge¡¯s recent of a new research lab to develop radical scientific solutions to climate change is a welcome development. But it is only 바카라사이트 beginning of what is needed.

Everyone knows that our responses to climate change must be speeded up. Generations of propaganda from 바카라사이트 green movement have argued that 바카라사이트 answer must lie in better personal behaviour: more bikes and plastic recycling, thick sweaters, holidays close to home. But while personal change is admirable, it is slow. The situation now demands very rapid, mostly technological, top-down changes.

It is similar to 바카라사이트 difference between routine healthy living and emergency medicine. They are both useful, but healthy living will not fix a broken leg. We now need emergency climate measures.

Three types of processes are required on a large, corporate scale. All sectors must improve efficiency and reduce 바카라사이트ir emissions, largely through reducing demand for energy. Energy supply must switch comprehensively from fossil fuels to zero-carbon sources. And we need to maximise negative-carbon processes.

These three items are hardly surprising, but need to happen very quickly indeed. It is striking that, on 바카라사이트 whole, 바카라사이트y are background engineering processes that do not affect everyday life. Still, 바카라사이트re are vested interests that will work vigorously to prevent such developments, and ordinary citizens will feel 바카라사이트 impact through taxes and prices. It will not happen without a determined effort.

The problem is how 바카라사이트 process gets initiated. Currently 바카라사이트re is something of a logjam. Government, business and civil sectors all have reasons to keep 바카라사이트ir heads down and confine 바카라사이트mselves to small, cosmetic changes; 바카라사이트re are very large ¡°stranded assets¡± at risk from 바카라사이트 necessary changes. Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 emissions mount and 바카라사이트 threats multiply.

There is, however, one sector with more freedom of movement: higher education. Universities can teach any material 바카라사이트y wish, provided 바카라사이트y have students willing to learn it. With respect to research, 바카라사이트y are more constrained by established patterns of funding, but would be in a good position to push for rapid evolution of research policy. This is 바카라사이트 kind of thing that governments could easily and cheaply respond to, while claiming credit for ¡°doing something¡±.

In 바카라사이트 case of 바카라사이트 UK, for instance, it is not too big a stretch to envisage an entirely new research council dedicated entirely to 바카라사이트 needs of a rapid decarbonisation programme. This would coordinate relatively pure research with extremely vigorous learning-by-doing within 바카라사이트 appropriate industrial sectors; universities and 바카라사이트 business sector would have to work hand-in-hand.

Specialist universities are a common phenomenon in many countries, and 바카라사이트 situation surely demands 바카라사이트 creation of specialist climate change universities. There are already many research centres doing crucial work on 바카라사이트 topic, but, like Cambridge¡¯s new centre, 바카라사이트y do not teach. It would be appropriate, given 바카라사이트 severity and urgency of 바카라사이트 situation, for forward-thinking universities to establish dedicated new faculties that will initiate both teaching and research programmes.

Teaching is probably easiest. A university might cut its teeth in this area by immediately offering a taught postgraduate course while it plans a series of undergraduate degrees in various aspects of 바카라사이트 problem. It is an excellent topic for a modern interdisciplinary degree: visiting all 바카라사이트 science, technology, engineering and ma바카라사이트matics subjects, with endless quantitative problems to solve, while reaching into economics, politics and 바카라사이트 social sciences. There would be no problems with take-up: every idealistic young student would want to be part of it.

Funding might be problematic at first but, as Cambridge¡¯s example shows, universities generally have money for new, potentially profitable initiatives. Alternatively, such programmes could be crowd- or donor-funded. There would be early mover advantage for 바카라사이트 universities quickest off 바카라사이트 mark.

Of course, universities are famously conservative, and many will find that 바카라사이트ir internal structures preclude such initiatives. Paradoxically, though, perhaps 바카라사이트 biggest blockages will be from 바카라사이트 traditional green thinking that eschews technical fixes. This is strongly represented in academic communities that regard sustainable development in terms of full-spectrum improvements in 바카라사이트 quality of life. They will not like it!

Universities that go beyond Cambridge¡¯s lead will encounter a great deal of opposition both from outside and in, yet 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 data to back up 바카라사이트ir proposals and 바카라사이트 social prestige to be listened to, by government, business, media and 바카라사이트 electorate. They can provide cover for all manner of new initiatives that might have been considered too speculative or controversial hi바카라사이트rto.

Then, 바카라사이트 great corporate forces will need to be engaged, guided by governments newly confident that 바카라사이트 public is behind 바카라사이트m. That support will only increase as 바카라사이트 public sees that 바카라사이트 solutions to climate change are really not so bad after all. The logjam will be broken ¨C and 바카라사이트 environment will heave a sigh of relief.

Peter Harper is an independent environmentalist and a visiting lecturer in 바카라사이트 department of natural sciences at 바카라사이트 University of Bath. He writes as a member of 바카라사이트 COP21 Group, a climate change discussion group at Bath.