Why science alone won't save the planet

The idea of a futuristic technical solution that will mitigate or reverse years of environmental damage from rapid industrialisation is a tantalising one. Reuters

When confronted with the sheer enormity of climate change, it is understandable that many people simply cross their fingers and hope that science will come to the rescue by inventing a magic bullet that will resolve the crisis.

Indeed, the idea of a futuristic technical solution that will mitigate or reverse years of environmental damage from rapid industrialisation is a tantalising one. There is good reason for this – as global warming brings more extreme weather, from Australia to the UAE, the sense that we are running out of time is increasingly acute. In this context, humanity’s ingenuity seems a good place to search for answers.

This week The National reported that researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Scotland have created a porous material they say can capture carbon dioxide more quickly than planting trees. These molecules can, it is claimed, store greenhouse gases that would otherwise be trapped in the atmosphere for thousands of years, leading to global warming and exacerbating biodiversity loss.

This development – and others like it – are exciting, important and offer much-needed optimism in the climate fight. However, it is important not to focus excessively on overarching tech solutions to what is a complex and multifaceted problem driven by human activity. In fact, some climate experts warn an exaggeration in finding new technologies to save the planet could actually lead to complacency and prevarication. In 2020, the scientific journal Nature Climate Change published findings from Lancaster University researchers in the UK who claimed that “climate action has been delayed by technological promises” for 40 years.

It is important to work on all aspects of the climate crisis – including the political, diplomatic and economic. It is also unrealistic to expect that a tech solution to global warming will deliver change overnight. Scientific innovation is rarely a quick process and even with the momentum of urgency behind it, research and development into climate solutions is incremental; introducing such solutions internationally could take years. Even scientists say that although capturing and storing carbon could slow or reverse the level of fossil-fuel emissions in the atmosphere, more development is needed for the technology to be used at scale.

This is not to dismiss the impressive work taking place in labs and universities the world over, including in the Emirates. Computer modelling, AI tools and data-gathering techniques are all vital pieces of the puzzle when it comes to fighting climate change – but they should not distract governments, businesses and the public from their responsibilities to contain the climate crisis.

Cutting-edge science should be supported, while countries must also live up to their climate commitments and maintain the momentum from summits such as Cop28, held last year in the UAE. The potential for backsliding is always there, and the recent cancellation of regional UN climate summits owing to a lack of funding reveals the kinds of complacency that can set in.

Solar, wind, wave, tidal and geothermal power, as well as advanced sustainable transport, carbon capture and reforestation, are all valuable technical contributions to help us change course on global warming. But as was highlighted in Cop28, the most inclusive Cop in the history of the global convening, they need to be accompanied by the kind of cultural, social and political responsibility that can produce credible behavioural and policy responses to our increasingly volatile climate.