Apparently the world's engineers are getting sick of being told that cutting emissions is an engineering problem. Eleven of the biggest engineering organizations have released a joint statement saying, in effect, "You want carbon cuts? We can give you carbon cuts. Just say the word, smart guy."
We already have all the tech necessary to cut emissions 85 percent by 2050, say the engineers. What we don't have is support from governments — laws that prioritize carbon reduction, and funding to put the technology into action.
Colin Brown of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (one of the 11 signatory agencies) didn't even try to hide his contempt for all those non-geeks in government:
While the world’s politicians have been locked in talks with no output, engineers across the globe have been busy developing technologies that can bring down emissions and help create a more stable future for the planet.
We are now overdue for government commitment, with ambitious, concrete emissions targets that give the right signals to industry, so they can be rolled out on a global scale.
The statement calls on world leaders to reach a global commitment to emissions reduction and energy efficiency at December's COP17 climate change talks. Once that commitment is in place and adequately backed up, say the engineers, the technology is there to carry it out.
The 11 organizations that made the joint statement represent the U.K., Scandinavia, Germany, Japan, Australia, India, and Honduras, but not the U.S.
