MAE 124/ESYS
103:
Week 6 Assignment
Mitigation Wedges
Handout in pdf format
Sometimes cynics are quick to conclude that our greenhouse warming woes
are hopeless. In a detailed analysis in the journal Science,
Pacala and Socolow (2004) suggested that humanity already has the
technology that we need to solve our climate problems. For discussion
section this week, please read their article and the ``stabilization wedge''
game handout:
-
Pacala, S. and R. Socolow, 2004. Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the
Next 50 Years with Current Technologies, Science, 305, 968-972.
- Hotinski, R., 2009.
Stabilization wedges: A concept and game, Carbon Mitigation
Initiative. Download problems? We'll post a copy on WebCT as well...
Complete the mitigation wedge exercise on p. 13 of the ``Stabilization wedges:
A concept and game" handout. (You do not need to do the cut-and-paste exercise on p.
14, unless you want to.) In a carefully worded paragraph of 200 words or less,
discuss the choices that you made in developing your mitigation strategy. You may
work with a friend to develop the mitigation strategy, but please write the paragraph on
your own.
Please come to class prepared to discuss both your mitigation plan and some of the
issues associated with the mitigation plan. Will a mitigation plan
designed to stabilize carbon emissions be sufficient to solve our greenhouse warming
problems? Are the objective of the mitigation plan achievable?
Is an exercise such as this more useful as an educational tool, or does it
have real value in helping to define environmental and energy policy?
One student e-mailed asking if these final discussion questions need to
included in your paragraph. No, they don't. We're asking you to focus
on explaining your mitigation strategy choices. (A full discourse on
all of these issues could seem like quite a large writing assignment, and
we didn't want to pile too much work on just after the midterm.)