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How Climate Change / Global Warming could be different



Digital technology / data / plant genomics / biologics could dramatically change agriculture

Extreme weather could be turned into blessings

Focusing solely on green energy finance could be detrimental / alienating to developing countries

Buildings could be made of cob / clay / mud

Farmworkers / construction / all workers could be prevented from heatstroke / kidney damage / death

The U.S. / world could have more public swimming pools / lessons

LK-99 could be the first room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor

FEMA could have a better / quicker / less fragmented / less complicated / adequately staffed and funded response to natural disasters / emergencies

"Living coastlines" could be fortified with coconuts to prevent coastal erosion / support wildlife

A self sustaining, zero waste house could produce food and generate energy

Glass could become sand / rebuild coastlines / be upcycled

Fungi could cause a pandemic

Grassfed, grazing cattle could sequester more carbon than produced

Desert could become soil

Carbon dioxide could be pumped underground and turned into peridotite / carbonate minerals

Smallholder farmers could have a greenhouse-in-a-box

Stones with seaweed spores could grow seaweed forests

Greywater recycling could be used

Microbial fungus on seeds could restore carbon in soil, promote plant growth, and grow with less water

Geothermal could be a significant renewable energy resource

"Supercrops" / "green revolution" crops could use less irrigation / pesticides and suck nitrogen / carbon out of the air

Carbon dioxide could be turned into rock

Wind turbines could be bladeless, noise-free, not harm birds, on rooftops, and produce more power

Kowbucha, seaweed, algae, vaccines, etc. could reduce cow methane emissions

Jackfruit could be good for the planet, easy for farmers to grow, and eaten as a meat substitute

Sheep shearing / the handling of merino sheep / wool could be humane and climate-friendly

Terraces could be good for climate adaptation / droughts / preventing fires / landslides

A global carbon price / tax could be the solution to global warming

Prediction markets could improve future forecasts / public policy

A large-scale volcanic eruption / meteor impact could be prepared for / cause climate change

California could be prepared for a megastorm

The economy could shrink or not have to grow much

Carbon credits could be more reliable / easier to access by blockchain and crypto

Algae could become biofertilizer, bioplastic, pollution control (sewage and fertilizers), food / vitamins, fuel, fish and mushroom feed, and dyes/stabilizers

Net zero / less carbon emission pledges could be standardized / meaningful

Groundwater could be replenished

Fracking could enhance geothermal energy

Iron could encourage the growth of ocean phytoplankton to capture carbon

Enset could be a drought-resistant crop

Nuclear power could be less expensive and safer

Beavers could restore habitats and protect against climate change / floods

Using wood for fuel could have negative effects

Methane leaks could be spotted from space and plugged

Coffee, meat, and other foods could be synthetically created

Aquaculture could be automated

Methane leaks could be turned into CO2 and water

Nitrogen fertilizer could be produced by the air

Sustainable forestry and fishing practices could become viable livelihoods

Machines could suck carbon dioxide out of the air

Land and sea could be rewild-ed

Soccer clubs / sports could be carbon neutral

National water pipelines / aqueducts could be built

Sprinkling rock dust on agriculture could have a big effect on climate change

Marine cloud brightening could save coral reefs and reflect solar radiation

Farmers could receive payments for meeting environment and climate goals

More varieties of sustainable meat could be available

Venture capital / impact investing / angel investing / private equity / hedge funds / institutional investors could take ESG / world issues into account

Ducks and fish could be used in rice farming

Grazing herbivores and grasslands could preserve permafrost and methane

GMO crops could be harming small-scale farmers through unaffordable / not climate adaptable seeds and pesticide use

Cloud seeding could cause rain to reduce temperatures and cause rain

Free trade / bilateral trade agreements could have negative effects on labor / environment

Cargo ships / cruises could have sails or use hydrogen / solar power

Deep sea mining could be destructive

Supercharged plants could slow climate change

Water wars could be solved

Activist hedge funds/shareholders could push companies to become environmentally sustainable

Concrete could absorb rather than release carbon dioxide

Massive solar farms in deserts could have environmental consequences

Methane gas could fuel artisan studios or other electricity needs

Gold mining could not destroy the Amazon rainforest

Bottom trawling could not be used by the fishing industry

Crops could be grown in the ocean

Grocery stores, restaurants, and other food vendors could put less food in dumpsters

Plastics could help capture carbon emissions

Architecture / design could be humanitarian

Windows could tint automatically

Buildings could be made of wood

Highways/roads could be solar powered

Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and/or NFTs could have a large carbon/energy footprint

Plants could send emails

The oil and gas industry could not abandon polluting, decaying wells

China's foreign aid could create unsustainable debt and environmental issues in developing countries

Quinoa, millet, sorghum, fonio, barley, oat, other crops, etc. could better ease malnutrition, water availability, and hunger in developing countries

Forest products could be harvested easily to prevent deforestation

Insurance could prepare for famines, pandemics, weather changes, climate change, and humanitarian disasters

ESG investing could have clearer metrics / standards / regulatory oversight to prevent green / social / ethics washing

The value of environmental conservation could be incorporated into insurance products

Solar panels could benefit land underneath

Energy from nuclear fusion could be possible

Nuclear power could be a risky solution to climate change

Waste could become energy

Degraded or abandoned land could be brought back to life

Peatlands could have a big effect on climate change, regulate water flow, provide forest products, and conserve biodiversity

Women / girls access to education / family planning could have a big effect on climate change, health, and development

Food, meal delivery, and restaurants could be certified as eco-friendly, labor-friendly, and/or sustainable

Rice could be farmed in a climate friendly way

Bamboo could restore soil, reduce deforestation, grow faster than other plants, and act as carbon sinks

Regenerative agriculture/soil could have a big effect on climate change and health

Rainforests could be regrown

Seaweed farming could fight against climate change / regenerate marine ecosystems / create new businesses

Houses, buildings, cities, and/or towns could float

Endangered species and plants could be moved to less threatened environments

Mini-forests could restore biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions

Ocean forests could be replanted

Hurricane strength could be reduced with hot water

Aviation, trucks, and cars could be electric

Clams, mussels, and oysters could be environmentally-friendly food choices

Meat could be eaten less

Whales and phytoplankton could decrease carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

Insects could be used as animal and aquaculture feed

Glaciers could grow with artificial snow

Individuals could offset their carbon emissions

Refrigerant emissions could be environmentally disposed and alternative refrigerants could be used

Present and potential solutions ranked by global warming impact could be shared and acted on

Defensive design could prevent floods

Zigzag brick kilns could reduce air pollution in South Asia

Ice stupas could provide irrigation and mitigate climate change

Carbon emissions could be priced, capped and traded, or taxed to be redistributed as rebates

A carbon-neutral “synthetic oil well” on every rooftop could provide air-conditioning

Water could be provided to wild animals during droughts

Carbon dioxide could be captured through gas separation technology

Inedible plant life could be turned into environmentally-friendly fuel and healthy sugar

Oysters / oyster shells could restore reefs along coastlines / prevent storm surges

Biochar could be used as fuel in cookstoves

Office buildings could have open windows

Clean cookstoves could be used in developing countries

National educational, scientific, and historical standards could be set for school textbooks

Herding livestock could prevent desertification

Electricity free algae street lamps could suck up CO2

People could use and have access to community solar farms or solar gardens

Cities / towns could offer curbside compost collection systems

Skyscraper or vertical farms could produce aeroponic and hydroponic crops

Insects could be more widely eaten / cultivated

Agricultural subsidies could be reformed

Ice cooling tanks could provide air conditioning

CO2 could sucked up and buried to reduce levels in the atmosphere

Clouds could be created to mirror and reflect the sun to cool the earth

Sulfur laden smoke from coal burning plants could be spewed into the stratosphere to cool the earth