“This chapter describes how two types of gases generated by humans - chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and greenhouse gases - threaten to change the nature of life forever” (248). The author Devra Davis clearly states the purpose of the chapter not far from the beginning. Then she mentions about little and big science - “Little science refers to the lone scientist working in isolation to improve our understanding of how the world works. Big science requires teams-dozens, sometimes thousands, who work on large projects to accomplish complicated tasks” (247). It’s not a coincidence Devra Davis put them together. Both CFCs and greenhouse gases are a mix of big and little science.
Davis begins by highlighting the essential value of ozone for all life: “They work like a gigantic chemical sunscreen that filters the amount and types of UV radiation from the sun that hits the earth’s surface” (249). If the ozone layer were destroyed, epidemics of skin cancer and glaucoma would spread, and ecosystems would be devastated because solar radiation would kill tiny sea creatures krill - the prey of larger sea animals. Catastrophically, such crucial ozone can be destroyed by CFCs - “Within a second of their release from CFCs, atoms of chlorine seek out ozone, which is naturally reactive to begin with, to form chlorine monoxide. In a single year, hundreds of thousand of molecules of ozone would be destroyed in this manner, creating inherently reactive radicals” (250). It was warned by two scientists F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina but it wasn’t taken seriously by neither politics nor corporations. “Among other things, industry-supported skeptics noted that volcanoes and chlorine from the ocean could be important sources of ozone-depleting gases. Compared to these natural sources of ozone-destroying agents, they said, humanly made CFCs were trivial” (252). “In February 1984, consistent with the Reagan administration’s diminished concern about the environment, the NAS issued a report downsizing its previous estimates of the potential size and importance of any loss of ozone” (252). Due to indifferent politics and corporations, their work finally led to a global treaty called the Montreal Protocol which was approved in 1987. If their idea had been accepted in 1974, several million skin cancers might have been avoided. Not simply scientific proof was needed for this change. “Three things were required: the finding of the ozone hole provided sufficient proof that the planet faced a grave and imminent danger; industry had found a way to profit from making major changes in production of the source of the danger; and governments saw that the costs of persisting were much heavier than the benefits of acting” (256).
Even though there were many years of delays, CFCs' issues were somehow managed. “Little Science” of F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario Molina came to the “Big Science” of polar research. It showed that the South Pole had very low ozone as they predicted, covered by the news, which led to public attention and a solution. Thanks to their efforts, we don’t worry and talk much about how ozone depletion might cause skin cancers. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t have climate-related problems anymore. Unlike CFCs' straightforward problems, the greenhouse gas problem requires teams-dozens, sometimes thousands, who work on large projects to accomplish complicated tasks.
“Greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and other by-products of natural and human activities tend to warm the atmosphere, which can alter weather patterns, produce more severe extremes of weather, and ultimately shift the world’s climate in unpredictable ways” (248). In the realistic example, Nauru, a small island nation is threatened immediately by rising sea levels and storm surges. Furthermore, “There is a growing recognition that the increased level of monster storms, tidal surges, downpours, droughts, searing temperature, and windstorms we are seeing today is only a dress rehearsal for the global warming to come” (262). Even with such obvious current and upcoming dangers, it’s hard to stop using fossil fuels causing greenhouse gases and again it’s mainly due to politics and the economy.
Coal is the dirtiest way to get energy but it’s still widely used because it’s the cheapest energy source. Also, there are industry-sponsored organizations like the Global Climate Coalition (GCC), the International Climate Change Partnership (ICCP), and the Climate Council that are representing and defending fossil-fuel producers’ benefits. Even though some political parties try to reduce greenhouse gases, it’s hard to do because politicians work short term but greenhouse gases are a long-term problem. Canada's federal government agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 10 percent of current levels till the end of this decade. But unfortunately, “the fellow who announced this policy, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, is likely to be out of office long before the promise comes due” (265).
As we could learn from the CFCs problem, the scientific proof wasn’t enough but economic benefits were needed for the real changes which were needed to be led by the government. Devra Davis wrote to encourage clean energy through subsidies and discourage dirty energy through tax and other penalties. She is a smart scientist who understands that this strategy will be hated by free-market economists and she’s smart enough to understand that the free market itself is not an end when it’s not benefiting public welfare. Specifically, it can be effective to give each individual and corporation certificates to put a certain amount of greenhouse gases in the air and charge them for the amount of greenhouse gases they emit.
“Fundamentally, we need to motivate the whole society-not just the well intentioned or those with the extra bucks to spend on being green. … The only way to do that is to create genuine, lasting incentives that make it cost more to release carbon into the air. We have to put more money back into people’s pockets if they spend for cleaner fuels” (272). For example, Washington State provides financial incentives to encourage energy-efficient improvements such as grants for energy retrofits in public buildings and cost savings at state facilities and schools. Also, politicians tend to focus on short-term issues rather than long-term problems like greenhouse gases. Therefore, creating new long-term political roles, specifically for climate change, could be helpful. The UK and Japan have already set an example by appointing ministers of loneliness to deal with the increasing problem of loneliness in society. This approach could be applied to climate change as well, as it highlights how politics should be flexible in handling new phenomena.
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