Is Global Warming the grand challenge of our century?

Question

Stanford University’s Global Climate and Energy Project seeks new solutions to what they describe as one of the grand challenges of this century: supplying energy to meet the changing needs of a growing world population in a way that protects the environment.

Among GCEP's specific goals:


1. Identify promising research opportunities for low-emissions, high-efficiency energy technologies.


2. Identify barriers to the large-scale application of these new technologies.


3. Conduct fundamental research into technologies that will help to overcome these barriers and provide the basis for large-scale applications.


4. Share research results with a wide audience, including the science and engineering community, media, business, governments, and potential end-users.

The first link is a statement by Project Director Franklin Orr Jr. that is worthy of your time, I believe.

http://gcep.stanford.edu/about/grandchallenge.html
http://gcep.stanford.edu/about/index.html

Answer 1

Climate change is one big challange

but it is really only a symptom of the overconsumption of finite natural resources beyond the limits that can be mitigated by the natural control systems.
We cannot aspire to infinite industrial growth on a finite planet.
We need to develop and adopt a life sustaining society instead if there is to be any sort of decent future.

The grand challange has to be peoples attitude, culture and relationship with others and the planet - without that no technical fix will make a difference in the long run

http://www.greatturningtimes.org

Answer 2

Global Warming is the grand "Marketing Opportunity" of our time! Look, people can now go out and re-create EVERY bit of everything that was ever produced (We even have Organic Cotton now), and call it "Green", and charge more for it. Its an incredible sham, generated by arrogant people, for the purpose of generating money, money and more money.

Don't believe the hype. Think critically, think for yourself. the debate isn't over, it's barely begun. It can be called many things- "The great sham", "the great hype", "The great marketing opportunity", all of our time...but the great challenge? hardly.

Answer 3

I am all for finding new sources of clean energy and ending our dependence on foreign oil that funds terrorism, but CO2 is not a pollutant. It is not toxic to humans or plants and there is no proof it will cause catastrophic warming.

Linking their research to CO2 is probably a good way to increase their funding though. I have to admit that. They might as well ride the gravy train the global warming hysteria has created.

Answer 4

i would have to agree with Ben and also add it does not matter if CO 2 is the primary cause of GW or not all countries should be researching clean air Technology and you Americans would want to be the leaders in this growing new world market.Nobody wants to breathe that pollution in anyway.

Answer 5

yes
global warming is a challenge before the mankind at present but, i fail to understand how supply of more energy can solve it?
thnks

Answer 6

We've had energy crisises before we'll have them again. Protecting the environment and conserving our resources is something we should be doing regardless of whether AGW is real or not.

Answer 7

No. Global Warming is the grand lie of the century.

Answer 8

I think it should be AIDS, b/c if it is classified as a 'grand challenge' something is more likely going to be done about it. That's just what I think.

Answer 9

Relax. The climate will cool down on its own. These are all parts of a natural cycle.

Answer 10

through natural cycle it will comes normal cycle.