Mitigation of Global Warming

The consensus among climate scientists that global temperatures will continue to increase has led nations, states, corporations and individuals to implement actions to try to curtail global warming. Some of the strategies that have been proposed for mitigation of global warming include:

• development of new technologies
• carbon offsets and carbon taxes
• renewable energy such as biodiesel, wind power, solar power and nuclear power
• electric or hybrid automobiles
• energy conservation
• improving natural carbon dioxide sinks
• deliberate large-scale production of sulfate aerosols (which produce a cooling effect on the Earth)
• population control
• nanotechnology

Many environmental groups encourage individual action against global warming, often aimed at the consumer. Much of this involves simply raising awareness about the issue, and offering action steps that an individual can take, from small changes in purchasing habits and daily living to more comprehensive shifts in overall lifestyle. Al Gore's high profile documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth", has proved instrumental in opening the eyes of both policy makers and the general public towards global warming and the role that humans have played in it, as well as offering positive steps humans can take to curtail it. The best-known mitigation policy plan to date is the Kyoto Protocol, ratified by most countries in the world, though not the United States and Australia.

Businesses can play a key role in the mitigation of global warming through decisions to invest in researching and implementing new energy technologies and energy efficiency measures. However (and not surprisingly), one of the biggest opponents of action on global warming has been the fossil fuels energy industry, and particularly the oil industry, such as ExxonMobil, which regularly publishes papers minimizing the threat of global warming. In 2005, it opposed a shareholders' resolution to explain the science behind its denial of global warming. In recent years, other companies have increasingly come to accept the existence and consequences of global warming; for example, the Chairman of BP, John Browne, declared a need for action in 2002.

On February 9th, 2007, Sir Richard Branson and Al Gore announced the setting up of a new Global science and technology prize, "The Virgin Earth Challenge". This is a prize of $25million for whoever can demonstrate to the judges' satisfaction a commercially viable design which results in the removal of anthropogenic, atmospheric greenhouse gases each year for at least ten years without countervailing harmful effects. This removal must have long term effects and contribute materially to the stability of the Earth's climate.