Implementing a Global Action Plan by Mobilize Now

I think a behavior change we need is not to treat global warming denial people as enemies. The 2015 Paris meeting is about climate change, but the published goal is to limit average global temperature to less than 2 C, using the pre-industrial average as the baseline. This is an example of shifting from climate change to global warming. Climate change is almost impossible to have an elegant definition. Global warming can be clearly defined and confirmed or refuted by data collection. I think most people agreed that there has been 1C temperature increase already. There are some climate scientist that think the delay effect of green house gas (GHG) may make another 0.6 C increase inevitable. The revised target of 1.5 C may no longer be possible.

Before any discussion of global warming, there is need to understand the baseline. What are the main factors that control average global temperature? As a physicist, I know solar radiation as input and earth's radiation as output. At the average earth to sun distance, the equilibrium temperature is 394 K (Kelvin, 121C). The earth receive solar energy using area of Pi R square, and radiate using four time the area (4 Pi R square). Dividing the original equilibrium temperature by 4 to the fourth root, the theoretical earth temperature is 279 K. The actual global average temperature is 285 K. The 6 C increase is due to adjustment factors including GHG. Water vapor and carbon dioxide are significant GHG. Water vapor level itself is a function of global temperature, leaving carbon dioxide as the main GHG that human can influence. Fossil fuel burning for energy is the main reason for atmospheric carbon dioxide increase. Renewable energy should be effective solution.

Knowing the temperature control factors readily lead to the solution. 70 % of the earth is covered with water. Most of the solar energy input initially heat up ocean water. It is also a fact that half of the earth's surface (below 30 degree latitude) receive about 61 % of the solar energy and radiate 53 % of the radiation energy. Ocean and atmosphere combined to shift the 8 % solar energy input to the higher latitude area and make the tropic less hot and the poles less cold. An energy problem much greater in quantity has already been resolved without noticed by most people. Stored ocean thermal energy quantity is on the order of two years of solar radiation energy. This is by far the most abundant renewable energy resource on earth. The technology to extract thermal energy from the ocean is OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion). I hope there are people willing to contact me at jameslau2@gmail.com so that I can share what I discovered and work together to promote OTEC. The ocean temperature in the tropical area is stable (surface to 1000 meter depth temperature difference change by less than 20 % in a year) OTEC electricity is available 24/7. OTEC is much more reliable than wind, tide (twice a day, variable height during a month) or photovoltaic (not at night).

Action now is good only if the action is appropriate. There is so much to learn about global warming that we all need to learn. Proposed action that has limited capacity to solve the problem may make people taking the action feel good, but is likely to distract from the really effective action. People may want to deny reality if the reality is not properly presented. It is good that GHG (carbon dioxide) to global warming connection is well published, it is too bad that why GHG leads to global warming is not known well enough. I should add that GHG make radiation output from earth less efficient so that the earth must reach a higher temperature to make the radiation level closer to the solar input. The so called heat of global warming is the difference between the solar input and the adjust radiation output. Many people believed that the excess heat is temporarily taken care (more than 90%) by the ocean (come to the rescue again).

People concerned about global warming need to learn the basics correctly. We can then better convince people denying global warming. They are not our enemy. We all need to learn and find the solution.

Hello!

I find your idea very interesting not only because it wants to support winners and finalists in getting additional funding but also because it encourages them to keep on working on their ideas/concepts also after the contest (many times good ideas can become great if pushed a bit more).

Also, it would be great to see that all those great Climate CoLab proposals are evolving, are getting more collaborators on board and are being implemented (which would encourage even more people to submit proposals in the following years).

You could also think about a combined model/system you proposed to include both the MIT expertise - reputation - resources and the many possibilities CF platforms are offering (not only for soliciting financial resources but also as tools of reaching and educating the crowd).


Keep up the good work!


Petra