artificial trees - Klaus Lackner proposes to suck carbon out of the air
Sam Carana
designed to suck in carbon dioxide for storage under the ocean-floor
in disused oil or gas fields. I think it's a great idea that deserves
more attention.
What can we do to get such projects started? Such projects should be
widely discussed, e.g. in groups like this one. We should seek
political backing for such projects. For their global impact, we
should encourage that such projects are discussed, incorporated and
endorsed in international treaties.
An important aspect is funding. How can research and implementation of
such projects best be funded? Research projects are already funded in
many ways, including through government grants and through tax
deductions. If companies fund such research and currently can deduct
such funding from their income taxes, then I'm not proposing to stop
that. But I believe we can and should do more. Therefore, I propose a
number of additional, separate taxes targeted to specifically combat
global warming.
- Firstly, I propose one tax specifically on supply of energy that
adds extra heat. What I want to avoid is that the proceeds of this tax
go back to the polluter, e.g. in the form of tax deductions or
subsidies for capture and sequestration. Also, I don't want the
proceeds to be used to subsidize higher energy bills of the poor, as
that would defeat its purpose - after all, if the rich can afford to
pay the tax and if the proceeds help to poor to pay higher bills, then
there will be little or no benefits in terms of global warming.
Therefore, I propose that proceeds of this tax will be used
exclusively to subsidize supply of energy that doesn't add extra
heat.
- Furthermore, I propose a tax on sales of meat. This tax should be
used to support environmentally-friendly developments, such as
communities without roads. I propose communities without roads and
with footpaths and bikepaths instead. Houses would be built close
together, around a local center of shops and restaurants. Existing
cities could be redesigned so that people have to travel less. The tax
on the sales of meat could be used to create such communities, e.g. by
supporting vegetarian restaurants, bicycle shops and other
environmentally-friendly outlets in such communities. We should start
building such communities without roads on university campuses,
designing small houses for staff and students to live around shops and
restaurants. Small houses need less heating and air-conditioning. If
we leave out roads, garages and other car-parking spaces, they can be
built closely together, so anyone can easily walk or bike their way
around. That would be more healthy as well.
Anyway, such communities could incorporate wind turbines and devices
like Klaus Lackner's artificial trees, in which case they could be
supported by proceeds of the tax on meat.
Cheers!
Sam Carana
For earlier discussions on the above, see:
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474976952727