FAQ

 Frequently Asked Questions

Economic Considerations

Q. Turning off the oil tap would make oil price soar as the demand will still be there. If alternative energy sources are not sufficient to meet demands yet, we'll run into supply problems of certain goods and price of things would rise. We need a way to prevent a quota from causing significant economic issues, else any theoretical quota will break under pressure.

A. Because the quota will be known many years in advance, alternative energy sources can be developed in a planned way. Energy from wind turbines and solar PV is already cheaper than from fossil fuels. But the change does need to be made at speed - as if we were on a war footing.

Policing

Q. How would such a quota be policed?

A. I think that it would be an accounting audit to ensure that extracted carbon was matched to a purchased quota. There are secure forms of ensuring that quota is valid, such as using block-chain computing technology.

Aerosols

Q. Does your model take account of sulphur dioxide and aerosols that currently counter a lot of global warming?

A. No, but it's something I'll look into.

Methane

Q. Does your model include methane?

A. No, but although methane has a smaller effect than CO2 the latest IPCC report shows it as more important, so I'll add a page to assess how significant it is.

Ocean Acidification

Q. But doesn't relying on the oceans absorbing all that carbon dioxide make them more acid?

A. Yes the oceans will become more acidic, but less so than if we carry on as normal.

Carbon Taxes

Q. Isn't this carbon extraction quota just an additional carbon tax?

A. In a way it is. It's an additional cost for companies and organisations extracting carbon from below and above the ground. It also requires more bookkeeping. But it can replace all carbon emission taxes and measures such as offsetting because the carbon is controlled at source so emissions are controlled before they can happen.

Paris Agreement

Q. But isn't the Paris Agreement already doing this?

A. Unfortunately none of the Current Agreements are sufficient to keep emissions low enough, and there are no enforcement measures on national voluntary targets so even the low agreed targets are not being met.

Carbon Capture and Storage + Other Sequestration

Q. Why is Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) plus other carbon sequestration methods like the mass planting of trees being promoted as the alternative way of reducing CO2 - won't that work instead?

A. CCS is an untried technology at scale, and appears very expensive both in terms of money and energy. Planting trees will not capture enough carbon quickly enough. All these alternatives just divert attention away from the obvious solution by giving false hope.

Carbon Emission Reduction Projects

Q. What about all the effort that's gone into promoting renewables and reducing carbon emissions - is that now wasted?

A. No - all those projects to emit less or no carbon will be needed even more, because there will be less carbon available, and will be far more expensive.