There is huge scepticism about the ‘miracle cure’ of as-yet unproven and extremely expensive technologies: The promises of Carbon Capture & Storage – Vision Group for Sidmouth
As the FT pointed out over a year ago:
“The climate summit in Glasgow was a failure because it was predicated on the fiction that technology will solve the problem of climate change. Technology will not solve the problem because it cannot be scaled sufficiently in time. But basing the entire meeting on that assumption prevented any discussion of the real solutions which require specific restraints on a number of activities in rich countries and which can scale rapidly.” Technology will not solve the problem of climate change
On the other hand:
“Enter wind, water and solar (WWS). WWS includes energy from the wind (onshore and offshore wind electricity), the water (hydroelectricity, tidal and ocean current electricity, wave electricity, geothermal electricity and geothermal heat), and the sun (solar photovoltaic electricity, concentrated solar power electricity and heat, and direct solar heat).”
“The good news is that we have almost all the technologies we need, their costs are mostly low and dropping, and implementing the solution has multiple co-benefits. At this time, we need social acceptance and political willpower to affect a change. I am optimistic we can obtain both.”
Mark Z Jacobson is a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford. His work informs the scientific bases for the Green New Deal. He is also the author of six books, including No Miracles Needed: How Today’s Technology Can Save Our Climate and Clean Our Air