Climate Change Science and Policy
[Music]
good afternoon
the theme of these series of tedx talks
is on what keeps me up at night
there are a number of different topics
that resonate especially in the current
pandemic
from health to energy security
and technology one common ground for all
of these however
is the similar objectives to facilitate
our survival and the survival of our
societies
this is the one topic that remains to be
independent of political religious or
any other
differences in vision among us how
do they survive within this reality no
one
can stand up and say one topic is more
important than the other
and no one can stand up to and say the
topic does not matter
as much as the other because these all
involve our survival
and are all important this is the very
first principle of democracy the very
first
step in peaceful coexistence amongst the
multicultural
and visionary people the truth of the
matter is that
the world we live in is a complex one
one that involves multiple fronts in the
war for survival
technology matters it matters to enable
us to live longer
better easier and be better press
prospects
bloodshed is a threat a trip that needs
to be dealt with towards a longer
lasting peace
another as important of a matter is the
war we have to win
against nature this is a battle that has
very limited chance for retrial one that
the enemy
has an embedded advantage and a right
to win one that requires extraordinary
efforts
and a unifying masters for all those
involved
one that is not limited to me or to you
or even to our civilization rather this
is the one battle that unifies all those
living on this planet
for a longer lasting survival
we have been fighting this battle for
the entire life
of our species but now we have
identified a name for it that resonates
across the globe
one that everybody relates to and it is
called climate change
what do we really mean by climate change
where they come from who is responsible
for it
these are all the questions that we keep
asking ourselves
and the ones we keep trying to answer in
elections
in research in developing a plan for the
future
but not all these are the right
questions to ask
climate change is not a single
phenomenon
that we need to address it is not an
isolated process that
needs to be reversed it neither is a
socio-political challenge
that they can tackle in demonstration or
marches
nor it is a scientific problem that can
be
handled by researchers and scholars
not alone it is a different phase
of our conflict with nature that has
been happening through millenniums
it requires all of us and requires
all our attention
the best that we can describe and define
climate change
is through facts and observations
what we can observe is that for example
the average temperature of the planet
is increasing annually here is the data
that shows since 1980s the temperature
had gradually increased and stayed up
there
this makes it a factual observation not
an interpretation
not a political argument but a real
observation that we can measure this
does not mean that we have an increased
temperature everywhere around the world
it means the average temperature in our
planet is increasing
we can also measure the level of co2 in
earth’s atmosphere over the years
using ice samples from antarctica these
are the data that we have collected
with known uncertainties and scientific
terminologies
based on scientific methods that have
been proven
is this the cause for climate change
well that would be an interpretation
and not an observation here i would just
stick
with the facts and observations and
leave out any personal
or scientific interpretations of these
data to other experts to do so
since this does not serve the purpose of
our discussion
consequently to the rising temperature
isis starts to melt
as expected we observe that the arctic
ice levels are start shrinking as that
happens
the sea levels are start rising this is
a major issue that is observed daily
in pacific islands or seaside countries
and cities
where the sea levels are taking away a
little lamb from people
every day you can put a stick on the
beach and you can see it happen
this is an observation you look at the
beach
and you identify that life for those
people is changing every day
we also have extreme weather events that
are happening more frequently
does not necessarily mean hotter weather
is going to happen everywhere
it simply means that the strange events
happen more frequently
because the ocean temperature is
changing
because of the melting x and the
consequence of that
the better systems change
these are only a few examples of the
observations we have made
to account for what we call our changing
climate and that’s the magical war
changing
all around us everything is changing and
the reason for it is because the climate
is changing
this implies that the world around us
being temperature
being wetter our everyday life
all different aspects of it is changing
on this
and these changes what we can observe
is what we can agree on and we can
quantify
this is independent from a political
view it doesn’t matter
who you believe in this is what you can
see
i was an official observer at the united
nations climate meetings
in 2015. my first-hand experience with
the negotiations
in these meetings was that of
astonishment followed by disbelief and
finally an
understanding of the huge barrier
between politicians
scientists and industry leaders
the main problem though was that
negotiations are not done honestly
toward a common ground but rather
to simply put the burden on the other
party
but also the issues of feasibility
scientific and technology is sound goals
and the discussions on what we are
aiming for and fighting for
that we cannot achieve it the u.n is
investing greatly on research to prove
that climate change is real
well they should be focusing on research
on means to address the effects we are
already observing and experiencing today
let’s say to prove that climate change
is real identify the person
responsible for it all beyond any doubt
to anybody
that’s the same to us does that solve a
problem
does that bring nations together or does
that make
any difference whatsoever may address in
this crisis
no it does not it just divides people
we have seen this play throughout our
history and they have played similar
roles
in the past over and over again
this time instead of repeating the same
mistakes
let’s change our approach let’s focus on
the problem
rather than the sideshow of who is to
blame and how to make them pay for
this would be a political argument and
we need a scientific and social approach
to solve the issues associated with
climate change
our negotiators and decision makers need
to have a better
appreciation of what each and every
motion they’re taking
and aiming for means in terms of
technology technological capabilities
and scientific merit if they want to
redefine
the issues of climate change if we set
goals that are not achievable
then those who lose in this battle are
us
we should aim for those goals that we
can be sure to meet in the period of
time to step forward
i can list a number of different
problems that i can see
with the current approach that we have
and with a cognitive strategy
from both a scientific and
socio-political point of view
one some objectives are technologically
and scientifically impossible to meet
in some of these cases for example
greenhouse gas emission reduction
for airliners marine transportation of
goods
and how you can reduce the greenhouse
gas emissions associated with that
and how greenhouse gases emission
reductions
affect global trade and economies of
economies and economic developments
by 2050 is it achievable
you have to think about that two we
should enable technology transfers to
under
underdeveloped nations so that they do
not need to
pay the same cost to achieve the same
level of technological advancements as
we have paid
it will be faster it will be easier and
less costly both for the environment and
otherwise
technological embargoes are problematic
we need to open a technology
bank for transfer scientific and
technology developments across
borders
population control is another problem an
important issue that we need to address
in other developed nations
sustainability in energy production is
as
important as it is to look at the
consumption of that
energy number four
populism the burden should be on
industries and governments rather than
people in the first place
for example if we try to enforce capital
trade and
capital related policies at a time of
economic difficulty
it will backfire we need to be business
public perception and we have to start
with what matters
the most today and people can deal with
that
we need to focus our research and
development on the industries and
technologies that matter the most
it’s not about only how we generate
power how do we extract energy it is
also about how do we transform it
how we transport it and how do we
consume it
all of these matter and this all
requires new and revolutionary
approaches to the concepts
rather than just making small tunes into
the technologies
to make instead of making a big
difference let’s start thinking and
realizing that new technologies
that we need are thinking out of the box
we need a new definition for innovation
because what we need goes beyond our
current understanding of the term
innovation
these set forward a fruitful approach in
solving a common problem
the same way we got together to solve
the current pandemic
we have to get together to solve the
problems we face with climate change
answering the question of who did it has
never been a unifying
approach in any conflict or crisis
finding the person to blame
is the minimalist step in a long list
of psychological steps and processes
that are faced
by humans when they’re trying to have
this crisis
they’re finally at the point of
acceptance it is only now
that you start looking for means to
adopt and to address the problem or the
challenge you have in hand
this is the nature of human beings this
is our psychology
if you’re going to fight with nature you
better take advantage of our own
have come a long way to be here but to
accelerate this process going forward
there is only one approach that i can
recommend
finding your common ground amongst all
our people
this common cause is valid for all that
are involved with this idea
one unifying voice that resonates across
the political social economic
and scientific communities
one that aims not to address these
polarizing questions
that i have listed in the beginning of
my talk but rather to deflect the need
to answer them all while addressing the
very nature
of this crisis one that goes beyond the
bounds of greed movements
and extends past the prosperities that
are promised
by the oil and gas and energy
enthusiasts a wall
that satisfies all those that are
involved but only slightly
oh that is the magical trick to a
monumental challenge
that is if one side is all happy
it only could mean that others all of
their needs
are not met at all the common ground
is clear here the common ground that
this
unifies all the parties involved is
technology
and technology advancement and
improvements to our current systems
to design better higher efficiency and
better performing mechanisms to lower
the cost
associated with any of these energy
systems
this is the language that all those that
are involved can agree on
a better efficiency means more
profitability
that its core for industry is good for
economy
and is good for the people therefore
governments
will take advantage of that too a lower
cost
in our energy systems we mean a better
economy and a better happier society
because of it
if we can reduce our footprints on the
environment
that means that our lives are going to
be more comfortable
and if the technology that we need to
get there is there this has been for all
of us
why do we need to wait for bloodshed to
push us to invest in technologies
that can revolutionize our lives in the
future
this has been the trend for years and
centuries
war and the fear for examination and the
need for survival
has pushed us to invest in technology
developments
that gave us the edge in the war
but in return over time they became
relevant in bettering their lives during
the time of peace
now we have an opportunity to come
together towards designing better
systems engineering higher efficiency
technologies
and better in our lives without the
actual bloodshed of war
but with the real danger for survival
this is an ugly enemy it does not haunt
you in history you can’t find one
just like it but it slowly makes its
presence known in the shape of what
we can all call as a common name climate
change
i only pose one question to all those
from either side of the spectrum
who fight for or against policies
related to climate change
what would you lose to transform a
polarizing disagreement
to a unifying cause in climate change
let’s look at climate change from a new
lens
one that allows us to make this crisis
an opportunity
to bring us together and to unify us
towards a better future
for all of us for children and for our
grandchildren
but that enables technology developments
that help industries thrive and
economies grow
all with a reduction in environmental
footprint
let’s work together to elect the right
people for the right job
thank you