OCTOBER 5, 2022 — Editor’s note: This op-ed by Hamid Beladi, Janey S. Briscoe Endowed Chair in Business in the Carlos Alvarez College of Business and Amitrajeet A. Batabya, Arthur J. Gosnell professor of economics at the Rochester Institute of Technology originally appeared in the San Antonio Express-News.
Scientists, economists and policymakers throughout the world now agree that climate change is the most serious environmental problem confronting humankind today. Although the long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns that we are talking about are caused, at least to some extent, by natural forces, there is consensus today that at least since the 1800s, human activities have been the primary factor in making climate change the salient problem that it is today.
Burning fossil fuels — examples include coal, oil, and gas — is the main human activity that has contributed to the rise in the Earth’s surface temperature. This generates emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane. Metaphorically speaking, these emissions can be thought of as a blanket that wraps planet Earth, traps the sun’s heat and raises the Earth’s surface temperature.
To address this problem, economists and policymakers have generally advocated the use of price (tax) and quantity control (carbon credits) instruments. Efforts have largely been concentrated on creating the right incentives to get people and firms to diminish their use of fossil fuels and move toward renewable energy sources. Occasionally, politicians have even advocated the use of bans to alter human behavior. For instance, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently stated that by 2035, his state would ban the sales of new gasoline powered cars and light trucks. The hope here is that such an act will provide a forceful nudge to state residents to drive more electric vehicles that typically have no tailpipe emissions.
Although there is nothing wrong with using price and quantity control instruments to fight climate change, these traditional tools have not done enough to put a dent in the massive problem that confronts us. We seem to hear and see stories about climate devastation almost regularly. In recent times, there have been multiple news reports about record high temperatures in the western states of the U.S., devastating floods in multiple cities in Australia and in large parts of Europe including Germany and the Netherlands, unbearable heatwaves in New Delhi, India, and uncharacteristically high rainfall leading to extensive flooding in Pakistan.
It's time to think of new solutions to fight climate change. This means thinking seriously about solar geoengineering or climate engineering. This kind of engineering encompasses two kinds of technologies: carbon dioxide removal and, most intriguingly, sunlight reflection methods.
Carbon dioxide removal technologies refer to processes such as direct air capture that attempt to deal with a key cause of climate change by lowering atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. However, as Cornell University researcher Doug MacMartin and his colleagues have pointed out in research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, present strategies for carbon dioxide removal are either not at scale or are too expensive to meaningfully reduce the 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted by humans each year.
This saturnine perspective on direct air capture brings us to solar radiation modification, which is possibly a worthwhile climate change mitigation strategy. The relevant technology involves injecting sulfate aerosols into the stratosphere so that more sunlight bounces off the Earth’s atmosphere instead of being absorbed by the earth with its “blanket covering.” The basic point is that sunlight reflection methods, including stratospheric aerosol injection, can compensate for the negative effects of climate change by cooling planet Earth.
Climate engineering is a fascinating new area of research and, admittedly, we do not know all the effects that might arise were we to employ the technologies suggested by this new research. Although we can continue to use price and quantity control instruments to fight climate change, two points are key. First, society must seriously think about expanding its policy toolkit with promising approaches. Second, it must explore all available options to identify the best opportunities to make our planet more hospitable for generations to come.
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In partnership with Metro Health, HCAP will host a lecture discussing the life and body of work of Dr. Fernando Guerra, longtime director of the Metropolitan Health District.
Buena Vista Theater, Downtown CampusJoin our team to reflect on the students’ achievements and challenges during the semester and explore techniques, strategies, and tools to address growth mindset, self-reliance, and what it takes to keep students committed and on the path to success
Multidisciplinary Studies (MS 240) and VirtualThis course will introduce you to this popular graduate program, providing a review of UTSA’s Employee Educational Benefit program and MPA info. Free lunch will be provided!
Mesquite Living Lab, Main CampusDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza , Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair is a party with a purpose! The annual art-focused fundraising celebration provides operating support for UTSA Arts, which is dedicated to community arts education for children and adults, public-facing performances and exhibitions, and arts-based research and partnerships to enhance the accessibility of the arts for the public.
UTSA Southwest, 300 Augusta, San Antonio TX 78205This year’s UEA ceremony will be an in-person event that will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25 in the H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106) on the UTSA Main Campus. The ceremony will feature UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Myron Anderson, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar and representatives from Staff and Faculty Senate.
H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106), Main CampusSan Antonio’s treasured Asian Festival returns on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Downtown Campus. In observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month the one-day performance, entertainment, and food event will celebrate the diverse Asian diaspora represented in South Texas and San Antonio. Come and enjoy one of San Antonio’s premier family-friendly events, with hands-on activities and opportunities to learn through experience.
UTSA Downtown CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education.
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.