For every complex problem, a simple solution?

I absolutely agree that we are in the midst of a worldwide climate crisis. I don’t agree that the major solution to that crisis is to either “leave it in the ground” or “end the fossil fuel industry,” because neither of those approaches speaks to what else has to be done to reach drawdown on greenhouse gas emissions. Either of those approaches means we’ll stop being bad at some things, but not enough things to re-solve our climate problem. If we end the ff industry, does that include capping the wells that are currently leaking methane? Perhaps, but not necessarily.

We need to transition not only our energy system(s), we also need to substantially modify or replace just about every system on which the current global economy depends. If you think that’s a radical statement, take a look at Project Drawdown’s Framework for Climate Solutions. We can “leave it in the ground” without addressing many of the sources of greenhouse gasses [GHG] and leaving it in the ground certainly doesn’t do much to support sinks of GHGs.

emissions sources and natural sinks

If you’re at all willing to consider the third action area, improve society, you probably should take a look at the ideas behind doughnut economics. Think of it as the societal equivalent of walking and chewing gum concurrently.

The Doughnut consists of two concentric rings: a social foundation, to ensure that no one is left falling short on life’s essentials, and an ecological ceiling, to ensure that humanity does not collectively overshoot the planetary boundaries that protect Earth's life-supporting systems. Between these two sets of boundaries lies a doughnut-shaped space that is both ecologically safe and socially just: a space in which humanity can thrive.

Two other resource frameworks that are helpful in beginning to understand the challenges facing US are the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the World Resources Institute’s State of Climate Action.

If today’s title seems familiar, that’s because it’s a derivation of something H. L. Mencken wrote about one hundred years ago that’s since appeared in a variety of forms: "there is always a well-known solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.” Leave it or end it seem like that kind of solution to our climate crises.

I knew something was wrong

By Dorothea Grossman

I knew something was wrong 

the day I tried to pick up a 

small piece of sunlight 

and it slithered through my fingers, 

not wanting to take shape. 

Everything else stayed the same—

the chairs and the carpet 

and all the corners 

where the waiting continued.

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