The Humanity Oath

Written By Michael Leeds

Using First Principles to Solve Climate Change

If you ask 10 people how to best solve climate change, you’re likely to get at least 13 answers. And we shouldn’t be surprised. When looking for ways to improve our planet, people are inundated with so many suggestions it makes them want to scream.

To successfully address harmful climate change, we need simple, “first principles” thinking. This is the basic concept of breaking down complex problems into their root causes in order to deal most effectively with the issue without getting distracted.

Applying first principles thinking to climate change leads us to one primary focus: we need to eliminate our emissions of carbon gasses into the atmosphere.

The First Principles

To power our global economy for the past 100 years, we’ve added 1 trillion tons of carbon gasses to our atmosphere. We’re now adding more than 50 Billion Tons of additional carbon pollution to our air annually - about 150 Million Tons every DAY. Almost all of these gasses are Carbon Dioxide and Methane.

These carbon gasses are often referred to as “greenhouse gasses” because they trap heat and cause a rise in global temperatures. The result of our emissions in an average temperature increase on earth between 1.8 and 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit (1.0 - 1.2 degrees Celsius).

NOTE: The “1.5 degrees” you often hear about is 1.5 degrees Celsius / 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit. This 1.5 degree reference point comes from something known as “Article 2(a)” in The 2015 United Nations Paris agreement.

So we’ve added 1 trillion tons of carbon gasses to the atmosphere and increased global temperatures approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit / 1.1 degrees Celsius. That’s the problem. To solve it, we need to focus on three things: Energy, Nature, and Humanity.

  • Energy: The energy powering our economies accounts for about 80% of carbon pollution.

  • Nature: Human-influenced, nature-based systems - including livestock, fertilizers, and deforestation - account for approximately 20% of carbon pollution.

  • Humanity: People matter. Most want to leave the planet a better, more prosperous place for themselves and their communities - and we need to empower everyone to be part of the solution.

We ensure progress by asking ourselves - as individuals, employees, CEOs, Heads of State, and other influencers - three simple questions:

Question 1: Is the energy we use - at home, work, school, and other locations - coming from a carbon-free source?

The most important part of this question is the SOURCE of energy. Whether you’re plugging in a phone or a computer or a car to be charged, the source of that power matters. Vermont, South Dakota, Washington, Idaho, and Maine, for example, currently lead the pack in the percent of carbon-free energy in their states. Many states get less than 5% of their energy from carbon-free sources, so even electric vehicles plugged into these grids add carbon gasses to the atmosphere.

Importantly, carbon-free energy is now the lowest cost energy, and we should follow a path that, at a minimum, ensures all new energy investments prioritize carbon-free energy sources and infrastructure - such as transmission lines - that enables expansion from generation and transmission to distribution and use.

Question 2: Am I supporting farms, farmers, and agricultural practices that reduce carbon emissions?

Supporting climate-positive agricultural practices often starts with consuming a broader range of meats and vegetables. Support can also be directed to new programs that increase the amount of carbon in our soils with techniques such as planting cover crops. There are also opportunities for new revenue sources such as agrivoltaics which combine clean energy with farm land (like this Texas farm). We can also prioritize programs that help reduce deforestation over planting new trees. More than one third of the global land surface is dedicated to agriculture, so we have the opportunity - and responsibility - to explore a range of solutions.

Question 3: Have I taken The Humanity Oath?

People and their collective power are required to create a better climate future, so we should all take “The Humanity Oath.” This oath rests on a simple belief that people should treat each other with respect regardless of how similar or different we are as individuals. Physicians, for example, take The Hippocratic Oath which is an ethical code promoting the basic principle of doing no harm to their patients. Solving climate change will improve the planet for all of humanity, and The Humanity Oath allows each of us to honor the dignity of others and advocate for inclusive climate solutions that don’t replicate marginalization of the past.

Together we will solve climate change

We can now work together and use our collective power to encourage CEOs, politicians, and others in decision making roles to prioritize the transition to 100% carbon-free energy and nature-based solutions.

The Carbon Co believes in the collective power of people. Please join us to help accelerate a better climate future for everyone.

Additional resources:

Michael Leeds
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