Sep 2 2009
Engineers have published a groundbreaking new review which shows the world’s first 100-year action plan on how to tackle climate change using mechanical trees and algae. If the initiatives, put forward by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are adopted it could create at between one to two million new green jobs for the UK economy by 2050 – under the Mitigation, Adaptation and Geo-Engineering approach (MAG).
Geo-Engineering: Giving us Time to Act? is the world’s first such report containing practical engineering analysis, detailed statistics and scientific data to be produced by any engineering organisation and comes after 12 months’ intensive work by practising engineers. It contains five key recommendations to Government and solutions that can also benefit our natural environment.
IMechE is one of the world’s leading authoritative voices on engineering and this is the second such report on tackling Climate Change it has produced following its Climate Change: Adapting to the Inevitable? report in February. Lead Author, Dr Tim Fox, Head of IMechE Environment and Climate Change said: “Our report is exciting, innovative and novel. For the first time we really examine some of practical initiatives we could adopt to essentially clean up the mess we have made.
“After decades of failed mitigation, geo-engineering may give us those extra few years to transition to a low carbon world and prevent any one of the future climate change scenarios we all fear. This report has been produced with input from our young engineers and we hope it inspires fellow young engineers and scientists to work in the MAG sector and shape the future of our planet. After all, our future is the next generation.”
To achieve this, the report calls on Government to explore all five recommendations and listen to the collaborative advice of engineers and scientists it offers.
The first key recommendation urges the Government to support a national start-up research project which could cost between £10-£20 million. With this research funding, geo-engineering initiatives could get off the ground. These are:
- Artificial or Mechanical Trees
- Energy from Algae
- Solar Radiation Management – Reflective Buildings