1. The sun has been powering the planet for several billion
years, while fossil fuels have only a few centuries of history and
technological evolution.
Biological processes and
solutions are far more evolved, and operate using free solar
energy. Thus, any and all climate adaptation and netzero policies
and programs should first consider biological and traditional
solutions rather than those based on recent and/or fossil fuel
technologies.
For example, dairies should not install
more manure ponds but instead should reconfigure themselves with
cows grazing on natural grasslands that are fertilized by those
same cows.
2. Last week I attended the annual conference
of the International Biochar Initiative. Biochar has many
applications, both agricultural and technological, and progress to
date is nothing short of amazing.
Staff should be
paying close attention to these developments, and strongly
supporting the application and implementation of biochar’s
huge potential for long-term carbon sequestration as well as
substantial reduction in CO2 emissions from processes such as
cement manufacturing.
3. CARB should advocate for and
then help implement legislation mandating an additional form of
carbon pricing. Triple-pricing, whereby all products and services
at the retail level would be labeled with embedded kwhr and GHG
emissions, as well as dollars, would help consumers recalibrate
their cheap-fossil-fuel habits.
This kind of grassroots
consumer information will facilitate the kind of market signals
that can lead to widespread and substantial changes such as
substantial increases in energy conservation and reductions in GHG
emissions, much greater than would be achieved by carbon pricing
that directly affects only producers.
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