EmTech: Scientists ready to combat climate change, politicians lag behind
“Climate change and greenhouse gas emissions are political, not technical problems,” highlighted W.H. Dow Professor of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at MIT Gregory Stephanopoulos in his speech on the prospects of metabolic engineering at the EmTech Europe Conference on Wednesday.
The 1st EmTech Europe Conference organized by the MIT Technology Review in association with Kathimerini, kicked off on Wednesday with a panel of distinguished experts discussing the transformative power of technology in shaping our future through the lens of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.
After a surprisingly intelligible presentation on how metabolic and biochemical engineering can sustainably produce commercially useful fuels and chemicals using naturally abundant feedstock, Professor Stephanopoulos redirected the audience’s attention to a more relatable reality.
For those technologies to be used commercially and have a positive impact on the planet, society has to inevitably endure change.
Science progresses at promising rates, and Stephanopoulos shocked the audience saying that scientists could resolve problems causing climate change using modern technology within five years if they worked without political interference and had adequate budget.
Yet, “this will not be possible without a change in the way of life and without additional cost,” underscored the MIT Professor.
“A politician’s goal is to get re-elected, a scientist’s is to find solutions,” he added pointing at a crucial problem in tackling climate change: politics.
He noted that there are politicians who deny climate change and others who even though they acknowledge climate change, promise its solution to be seamless.
Professor Stephanopoulos underlined the need for a political framework that considers the necessary costs of moving away from fossil fuels and into the existing and developing sustainable technologies that can have the same end product.
What was clear from the discussion was that our way of life will change either way, as is evident by increased temperatures globally.
The electoral body should not settle for the easy solution and should be prepared to endure the necessary changes and sacrifices that, with time, can become the new modus operandi.
