Engineers have published a groundbreaking new review, which shows the world’s first 100-year action plan on how to tackle climate change using 'mechanical' trees and algae. If the initiatives, put forward by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) are adopted it could create between one to two million new green jobs for the UK economy by 2050 – under the Mitigation, Adaptation and Geo-Engineering approach (MAG).
Geo-Engineering: Giving us Time to Act? is the world’s first such report containing practical engineering analysis, detailed statistics and scientific data to be produced by any engineering organisation and comes after 12 months’ intensive work by practising engineers. It contains five key recommendations to Government and solutions that can also benefit our natural environment.
IMechE is one of the world’s leading authoritative voices on engineering and this is the second such report on tackling Climate Change it has produced following its Climate Change: Adapting to the Inevitable? report in February. Lead Author, Dr Tim Fox, Head of IMechE Environment and Climate Change said: “Our report is exciting, innovative and novel. For the first time we really examine some of practical initiatives we could adopt to essentially clean up the mess we have made.
“After decades of failed mitigation, geo-engineering may give us those extra few years to transition to a low carbon world and prevent any one of the future climate change scenarios we all fear. This report has been produced with input from our young engineers and we hope it inspires fellow young engineers and scientists to work in the MAG sector and shape the future of our planet. After all, our future is the next generation.”
To achieve this, the report calls on Government to explore all five recommendations and listen to the collaborative advice of engineers and scientists it offers.
The first key recommendation urges the Government to support a national start-up research project which could cost between £10-£20 million. With this research funding, geo-engineering initiatives could get off the ground. These are:
Artificial or Mechanical Trees:
This is the Institution’s preferred concept of geo-engineering and works in a similar way to natural trees absorbing CO2 but will be several thousand times more effective. The report states a tree, manufactured at a cost of $20,000 dollars or circa £15,000 per unit could remove as much as 10 tonnes of CO2 a day. Indeed, if just 100,000 were created this would be sufficient to capture the whole of the UK’s current emissions from non-stationery and dispersed emissions (ie transport pollution). The ‘mechanical forests’ could be planted in areas such as our own M25 or even the North Sea!
Energy from Algae:
Perhaps the most unusual of the three suggested areas and at conceptual stage using sealed vessels known as photo bioreactors (PBRs). Using PBRs has the potential to not only sequest CO2 from the atmosphere but also produce rich energy-yielding biofuel as a result. The report states: “As algae can be grown in saline or waste water, it will not impact potable water supplies.
Harvested algae have an energy content between 18.5MJ/kg and 35MJkg which rivals coal at 24MJ/kg.” A by-product of this method is bio-char which can be used as an organic fertiliser. One day we could see these green tubes down buildings such as the local hospital, office block or even the local Asda!
Solar Radiation Management – Reflective Buildings:
This method involves using reflective materials to reduce the effects of ‘urban heat islands or UHIs’. Towns and cities including London, Birmingham and Edinburgh tend to be hotter than their surrounding areas. Los Angeles, for example is believed to be up to 40C higher than its surburbs. The excessive heat often sends air-conditioning use into high demand and speeds up smog formation. Using reflective roofs on buildings in such cities, towns and areas for example can reduce their energy consumption and ultimately the establishment’s CO2 footprint. The report states reflective roofing can reduce cooling energy use by up to 60% but issues of glare and aesthetics would need to be considered.
The other four recommendations are to:
use the resources we already have
pilot promising schemes
adopt a realistic roadmap for decarbonisation of the global economy integrating geo-engineering
maximise the commercial opportunities for UK plc.
The report will be presented at party conferences and to a select group of politicians and MPs later this year at the IMechE.