Could detailed accurate super computer modeling be used to see how to best reverse environmental damage?

Question

Of course defining best is a little difficult but what I have in mind is what will reverse the problem in the least number of years with the least economic impact possible. Of course that could also mean spending money for investment now or for taking changes that might impact the economy a bit now but will keep enviromental damage including climate change, deforestation, loss of natural habitat, species decline and extinction, pollution, lack of resources, etc... from greatly impacting it later finding those changes that will ultimitly save the most money and make the most money and reverse the problems as quickly and fully as possible restoring the enviroment as well as possible. All peoples different ideas could be modeled into it as well as any combination of them as well as the impacts from specific actions on what is happening now. What do you think, would this help governments make the best possible legislation and steer the world towards the healthiest direction?

Answer 1

Stan, I like your way of thinking. I think the answer is probably yes. The problem is really that reversing environmental damage is not a technical problem. I am an engineer and so I love to try to solve technical problems and so I get really frustrated by problems that are technically fairly easy to solve but that for political reasons those simple technical solutions will not be implemented.

You might be surprised to learn that reversing environmental damage is not a super complicated problem technically. It is not. We basically know how to do it right now. The hard to solve problem is to get folks to do what they need to do to solve it. How do you get oil companies to agree to sell less oil? How do you get the weekend warrior to stop driving his SUV? How do you get your wife to turn off the lights when she leaves the room, or yourself for that matter? ;). That's the real problem.

The solution is to try to make those choices as easy as possible to make, and that is a bit tougher technical problem.