Looks like there will be bleak data coming from COP 25, the 2019 United Nations Conference on Climate Change held in Madrid.  Initial reports indicate that the EU and other countries are failing to meet 2030 emissions targets, while the US and China reported increased emissions in the past year.*  

What can we do to counter increasing emissions?  My suggestion  (possible topic for the Kids Climate Summit “KCS”) is a focus on scientific solutions.  Start with an existing idea, like carbon capture or sequestration, and improve it.  Brainstorm options (even ideas that seem out there), identify the most promising ideas, redesign, come up with more new ideas, improve and innovate.

Why is it so important to focus on innovation?  As the alarming news from COP 25 indicates, most people are not voluntarily taking steps to curb their emissions. To make matters worse, our current administration is loosening restrictions on emissions, notably methane and CO2 emissions.  While we have little control over the administration’s actions, we do have the power to implement solutions.

In terms of solutions, have you thought about carbon capture or carbon sequestration?  I first heard about these related solutions when I was watching a televised report about Climeworks, a company that has built machinery with the capacity to suck carbon out of the atmosphere and neutralize it, turning the carbon into fertilizer, fuel or even CO2 that is used in fizzy drinks.  Climeworks, and other endeavors of this nature, fall within the realm of geo-engineering.  Capturing carbon, once a “fringe idea,” may be critical to fighting climate change in the next few years:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/capturing-carbon-once-a-fringe-idea-may-be-key-to-fighting-climate-change/.  Some scientists in Iceland have also found ways to quickly store carbon (captured from our atmosphere) beneath the ground, with very little risk of the carbon resurfacing and entering into the atmosphere.  https://qz.com/1100221/the-worlds-first-negative-emissions-plant-has-opened-in-iceland-turning-carbon-dioxide-into-stone/

Right now, carbon captures and carbon sequestration are costly, but scientists (and others) are trying to find procedures to reduce the cost and implement these solutions on a wider basis.  Take a look at these links as they may hold the key to future solutions or spark new ideas to reduce the impact of human activity.