Regarding the web2.0, ‘Think globally, act locally’ may be a way out of your delema. I doubt that any mass web2.0 effort targeted at a very broad policy level will have a significant impact. However, as you note, there are many different solutions to the GHG problem and many different audiences. It seems to me that many parallel web2.0 efforts focused on different aspects of the solution many be a more productive strategy to explore.

For example, auto emissions are one part of the problem, and right now the major auto makers have been using the court system (and their Cheney connection via EPA)to stall California’s GHG emission standards. 14 states that cover 50% of the US population have also adopted these standards. A web2.0 strategy in this case might be to promote a consumer boycott of all auto manufacturers who continue to oppose Calif’s CAFE standards.

Another web2.0 project might be a ‘climate truth’ effort the slowly and gently correct the misinformation that confuse readers like Mark above.

A third example might be to galvanize action at the local level. Web2.0 apps would be useful tools to link communities together to encourage behavior change at the personal and local government level. We might call this ‘WikiAction’

However, we need to remain optimistic that the types of innovation in social, information, communication and other technologies described in Wikinomics can provide the means for generating a diversity of ‘solutions’ to these complex problems.
We need to do this within a new type of ‘ecosystem’ where we jointly exercise much more wisdom in selecting those solutions that offer the most promise of evolving into the next generations of solutions. Perhaps this is where the ‘killer app’ idea can play a role.

I encourage you to convert your ideas onto action, drawing on your influence, networks, resources and sense of purpose. What happens as a result will become history. But with the best intentions, this could help us to co-create and emerge into our uncertain future.

Like so much of current global science, the Clathrate Gun theory is unproven. Here’s an article refuting it. http://www.bioedonline.org/news/news.cfm?art=2334

I do agree with you on a couple key points. I believe we need to be responsible Earth citizens, and manage industrial pollution responsibly… and that Wikinomics can definitely help in this and in other large-scale challenges. I’m impressed with the keen insights provided by the authors, and I bought the Wikinomics book I am now reading.

One area where respectfully I do take issue, is with ‘resource mining’ you reference. The economies of the industrial world currently run on fossil fuels (primarily oil and coal). There is no dodging that simple economic truth. Why? These fuels – are simply the best and cheapest we now know of. We must use them wisely (eg, reasonable emission control equipment, like scrubbers to clean coal power plant smokestack emissions)… but we must use them nonetheless. Here’s a good related article by Dr. R. Spencer… http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MzMwOTcxNWEyYWE4ZDQ0MTA5ZWRkNWE3MWJlODUzYzQ=

Perhaps Wikinomics can help the world encourage developing countries, like Communist China, to manage industrial pollution better? That to me, seems like a much more urgent issue than trying to avoid heating up our planet via industrial activity.

Anyhow, I do agree there is need to do something about the way we are consuming our planet; however, I would be careful to use the climate change as the argument.

I am not saying that greenhouse gases do not contribute to the warming of the planet and between you and I, I do beleive it has an effect. On the other hand though, there will always be detractors for that theory and while the pros will fight against the cons, nothing gets done.

I have a vision where there would be use of web 2.0 in order to create an ecosystem where we can find solutions to a sustainable way of life – promote sustainable consumerism is in my opinion the most efficient starting point. After all, why are industries poluting/ Why do we need to dig deep in the ground to find ressources and extract them???

I am telling you, aiming to a sustainable lifestyle is not that uncomfortable.

Back to my vision, I see a mainframe (open source preferably) which would connect together advocacy groups, industries and individual which would develop their own tool on one side but would connect to the ecosystem via common tools. A collaboration tool should not be space to gather and keep reminding us how bad is the poluted word but a project management tool that would enable people to manage innitiatives in an open environment and then share with the rest of the world.

Have a green day,
Sylvain Martel,
Vancouver, BC