Technological fixes can and need to fix our environment before it isn’t possible to save it. The Earth is already experiencing the horrors that humans can do to it. Zhai says “we are already seeing the consequences of one degrees celsius of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing arctic sea ice, among other changes.” Today, technology does exist that should allow us to significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and it is being used, but only to a small degree. In order for us to not go above 1.5 degrees celsius of global warming we would need to cut our current emissions by a lot. So why isn’t our governments implementing the tools to do so? Well, as discussed in previous readings, it’s always a debate between economics and the environment. Unfortunately people don’t seem to care about things till it boils over or it’s too late. People don’t react to the environment until they see the actual effects of global warming and by then it’s far too late. I think there is a potential to fix what is happening but it is very unlikely because people value money over our earth.
People often claim that today’s technology is many stages away from being capable to reverse or at least rapidly slow the effects of climate change. However, in Reidy’s articles as well as many other environmental related articles this idea is challenged. We do currently have not perfect, as science and technology is always moving forward, but sufficient knowledge to slow or stop climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Implementing this technology today would drastically change the way the world and especially our economy runs. So many of the things we use every single day would need to be completely altered which would cost our government billions of dollars. This technology is definitely possible as well as necessary, but is society really ready to make the leap?