Durban's Epic Fail

The UN Climate Change Conference last December unfortunately came to a close with no agreement on global NEA goals. National Emissions Allocations are distributed through a global agreement of quotas of allowed emissions per capita for each country. This was proposed by the Global Commons Institute in 2000, and is conceptually accepted as a methodology by many countries. The NEA- based contraction conversion model applies an emissions cap to each country that declines rapidly over 40 years in order to reach the desired global atmospheric goal of 430 ppmv by 2052 (we're at 395 now). It's a cooperative effort, with developed nations assisting the third world countries in their reduction via the transfer of energy and pollution control technologies. Its strategy is that rapidly developing countries such as China and India must quickly pull back on their increasing emissions, and the UK and USA must simply implement immediate reductions in GHG emissions, period. This proved untenable to developed countries at Durban in December 2011, and so no global agreement was achieved. There is a consensus on the model, however, so the negotiation continues.

The Global Commons Institute [GCI] was founded in 1990. It has developed this emissions management model that has gained support by many countries as a fair and effective model for reducing carbon emissions.

This, tragically, does nothing to stop the growing emissions that threaten runaway climate change within about 5 years. While our governments dither, the natural world dies, and so do we. As it's necessary to have an overarching framework for cooperative effort on the most critical issue ever to face our human society, there are concrete measures that can be taken "at the grassroots" with parallel efforts in five broad areas of implementation. They are goal-focused and can be benchmarked for progress without specific caps in place because they aim for absolute emission reductions/rebuilding natural capital using public policy and economic levers:

1. End earthbound extractive processes

• 100% recycle, offplanet industry and energy production, lunar/asteroid mining
• Salvage trash residue from landfills, ocean
• Deconstruct and recycle unused building structures

2. Increase carbon sink absorption rapidly

• Regenerate forests and natural ecosystems - highest priority
• Unpave areas of asphalt and concrete that are not absolutely necessary
• Water conservation: mimic the hydrological cycle, allow plants and ecosystems to flourish

3. Human population reduction (reduces the per capita emission absolute number)

• Voluntary selection (per China), reform tax systems (no rewards for having kids)
• Women's education and reproductive choice

4. Restructure human habitation

• Reduction of GHG's and pollution by eliminating coal, tar and oil elements
• Alternative energy: wind, solar, geothermal, plant fuels (without expansion into natural areas)
• Restructure of shipping and transit infrastructure (algae fuels) encourage ships, rail, demote trucking
• 100% sewage treatment and trash recycling
• Restoration of natural processes: Remove dams, restore rivers, aquifer and watershed management
• Regenerate contaminated lands and restore functioning ecology in human habitation areas, urban retrofit
• Reverse sprawl: dense urban core, public transit, smart grid:

• .....Net zero structures in urban core - large projects
• .....Passive energy strategies in suburban areas
• .....Miniaturization of agriculture - food/animal production, diet shift
• .....Restoration of rural areas to natural systems
• .....Immediate reform in the use of and fueling of automobiles

5. Redefine quality of human life: eco-centric not human centric

• Disown consumption of "products", owning "stuff"
• Emphasize quality of simple life with human connection
• Greater use of social media, internet interaction, local community interests
• Education and problem-solving as a social and career goal
• Provide many ways of interaction, experiencing real nature, engaging community
• Put an end to corporate rule for profit, especially "wars" (they're not wars)

This approach, admittedly treating our current global situation as an emergency, can develop a synergistic integration which reinforces the various actions to create a more rapid reduction than simply trying to reduce the industrial and human impacts of carbon emissions. Nobody needs permission to implement these measures now, and the usual climate deniers can't make a single-issue argument out of this multivalent approach. Particularly since these measures are starting to take hold already; we all know it's necessary so that our planet has a future that embraces humans.