I searched “comprehensive list of environmental solutions.” The results search results showed nothing meaningful or helpful.

Before continuing, I should point out what prompted that search was writing my next book, which does present a solution, not only to our environmental problems, but to things that result from it, such as corruption, tyranny, racism, addiction, despair, and more. So I don’t feel despair or anxiety from pointing out that not one proposed solution nor combination of them so far presented in the media solves our problems, at least that I know of, including from the search above.

I think everyone can tell they don’t work. Even the people proposing them know they don’t work and will likely never work. That’s why ardent environmentalists don’t try to live sustainably.

The closest to helpful, in my opinion, was the first that returned for me, and it conveyed nothing remotely close to any route to solving our problems. A place called Science News Today published 15 Best Scientific Solutions to Environmental Problems. Check it out and tell me if you think it suggests a route to sustainability. The first three proposed solutions are 1. Renewable Energy Revolution, 2. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), and 3. Reforestation and Afforestation.

The discussion of the first one began, “One of the most powerful solutions to environmental degradation is the rapid transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Coal, oil, and natural gas release greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere, driving climate change. Renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal offer clean, virtually limitless alternatives.”

But there is no “transition” to renewable energy sources. Using more solar isn’t using less oil. We’re using more oil than ever. We don’t harness solar, wind, etc in renewable ways and are not on track to. They aren’t clean nor remotely limitless.

It’s all lies or clearly bogus wishful thinking. Anyone can tell these technologies don’t deliver what they promise and what they promise doesn’t solve our problems anyway. So no one is trying, starting from scientists and environmentalists on to everyone else, just fueling those who say don’t bother trying. Almost the only person I know trying is me. And what do you know, I’ve come up with what will work, which is why I’m so excited about my book.

People who don’t have solutions or whose proposals can’t work are sabotaging themselves and all of us by presenting what will fail as potential success. It distracts from finding solutions, teaches people to distrust you and what you stand for (science, for example), and creates despair and hopelessness.

The next site, Top 39 Environmental Issues and Solutions, from a place called Global Stewards: Green Living Hub, to its credit does fairly comprehensively list the problems. Each problem listed links to another page that describes the problem, its severity, the threats it poses, its causes, and ways to address it, but those ways are all abstract. They don’t sound practical, measurable, or likely to work.

For example, the first three “Effective Ways to Address the Issue:” for Climate Change are: 1) Reducing GHG Emissions: Transitioning to renewable energy sources, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing fossil fuel use. 2) Carbon Sequestration: Planting trees and restoring natural ecosystems to absorb CO2. and 3) Climate-Resilient Agriculture: Adopting sustainable agricultural practices that reduce emissions and are adaptable to climate change.

Do you read those ways and think, “Great! Everything is under control” or even “Okay, at least we’re on track to a solution”?

I don’t. I think, “We’ve been trying those ways for decades, they aren’t working, the problems they purport to solve are increasing, and these ways seem to contribute to them increasing.” If I didn’t know what could work, I’d be prone to think, “If these failed proposed solutions are the best the experts can come up with yet they say they’ll work, I don’t believe or trust them and I don’t believe we can avoid catastrophe. I should just eat, drink, be merry, and give up on any hope of a brighter future.“

The other of the top three sites returned is from the New York Times: 50 States, 50 Fixes – The New York Times. It’s pure fluff. It’s just playing music and rearranging the deck chairs as the Titanic heads toward the iceberg, yet different than the Titanic situation. We know we’re heading to an iceberg with time to steer away. Rearranging the chairs doesn’t change our course.

I can’t wait to publish my book and get people on track. I wish I could write it in a blog post, but it takes a while to convey. It takes that long for me to understand what I want to say, then to write it in a way people can understand and want to process. Even then, many people will resist and prefer not to try.

Anyway, a comprehensive, though challenging, though rewarding solution is coming soon. I could only post this condemnation of this pervasive blind hope in obvious failure if I had something better to come. Sorry to keep you waiting. If you want to learn more, email me and I’ll do what I can to involve you in helping create the book, edit it, and, if you’re interested, publicize it.

• ← My neighbors leave their windows wide open in temperatures below freezing, presumably blasting their heaters