Overall Strategy

Solutions to address global warming work hand-in-hand with policy and education. Thus, Global warming can be addressed by three key aspects:

• Policy
• Education
• Technology

All three are interlinked and contribute to the overall goal of carbon management. Carbon management can help to address a considerable portion of global warming. The same concepts are applicable to management of other greenhouse gases as well, except that the technology aspect will be specific to the respective greenhouse gas.

The main constraints to carbon management are:

• Lack of consumer awareness
• Higher initial costs for implementation of newer technologies
• Lack of industry incentives
• Lack of effective policy

Policy includes legislation. Legislation and Education go a long way to overcoming these constraints.

Education

Education helps to overcome the barrier of lack of consumer awareness. Education is also the key to a good foundation in science and engineering, which is needed for technology advances. Education programs can be achieved by means of one or more of the following:

• Inclusion of the relevant topics in the curriculum from Primary school level onwards for the young.
• Encourage free dialogue and discussion

[link to our class' GREEN ROOM FORUM]

• Public education programs for the general public can be achieved by using the media (documentaries, movies e.g., March of the Penguins).
• Competitions to enhance interest, and allow in-depth learning.

Increased awareness will affect personal choices: lifestyle products, mode of transport, even political candidates.

Legislation

Legislation at the national level can help to:

• provide convenient and cheap transportation infrastructure to encourage citizens to use public transportation.
• Reforestation and conservation programs.
• Increased awareness of public.
• Allow tax incentives for environment-friendly choices.
• Allow industry incentives to enourage adoption of environment-friendly technologies.
• Lower capital costs for adoption of new technologies.
• Provide incentive and encouragement for Research & Development funds.
• Ratification of international policy: Such as Kyoto Protocol.

[More information on Kyoto Protocol]

Technology

Policy and Education are tools to overcome the constraints. However, there is a continuous demand for new, cheaper and more efficient technologies to deal with greenhouse emissions. Technological advances, be it in areas of science or engineering, are ultimately enabled by education, awareness and, policy.

[more on Engineering and Technological Solutions]