Why A Post-Carbon City?

Imagine a world of darkness. You flip the light switch, but nothing happens. Electricity no longer exists because our addiction to fossil fuels has fueled us to use them up. Even the days are gloomy because the sky is blanketed with thick brown clouds of pollution. You look around and see only cement and skyscrapers. There is nothing green in sight. Forests are extinct; all were cut down to accommodate the ever-growing human population that has taken over the earth. This overpopulation coupled with overconsumption has led to extreme shortages in food and water. Sea levels have risen by 5 feet, displacing millions of families and ruining entire ecosystems. This is our future if we continue on the path we are on today. However, it's not our only option. Post-carbon cities offer us a creative strategy to avoid this bleak future.

Human-induced climate change is slowly bringing our world to the brink of collapse. Currently, nearly every aspect of our lives somehow depends on non-renewable fossil fuels such as petroleum, coal and natural gas. They power our cars, heat our homes, grow, transport and process our food, and create our electricity. However, when burned, these fossil fuels release harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, trap heat in the troposphere, which is essentially the bottom floor of the atmosphere. Releasing excessive amounts of greenhouses gases as we currently are will lead to more heat being trapped. This will eventually have extreme impacts on our environment like rising sea levels and regional changes in climate and rainfall.

Post-carbon cities seek to lessen these impacts by moving beyond our current dependence on fossil fuels. "Post-carbon" specifically means post-carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas released by the burning of petroleum and coal. By no longer relying on fossil fuels to transport people, grow food and power buildings, post-carbon cities essentially cut their carbon dioxide emissions to zero. If more cities adopted this carbon-free outlook, we could avoid some of the potentially devastating consequences of global warming.

While we are currently polluting and altering Mother Earth, we are also depleting the many resources she has graced us with, including fossil fuels, food and water. All natural resources fit into two categories - renewable and non-renewable. Non-renewable resources are available in a fixed amount and cannot be regenerated, such as coal and petroleum. Once used, they are gone for good. Renewable resources are services provided by ecosystems and include water, food, air and trees. As opposed to non-renewable resources, they can be replaced through natural processes. For example, rainfall replenishes water systems and trees provide us with oxygen. However, the supplies cannot be used faster than they can be regenerated.

Think of the earth as a bank account. Non-renewable resources are the money on Earth's debit card - once you spend it, you can't get it back. Renewable resources are the savings account. You may take money out, but you know it will continue to accumulate interest and grow over time. The Earth has trusted us to wisely manage its money, and we are not doing our job. We are cutting down trees faster than they can grow, using water faster than it can replenish and releasing carbon dioxide into the air faster than plants can photosynthesize and convert it to oxygen. Each day, we are becoming closer to reaching the literal bottom of the barrel of the oil that we are so dependent upon. All of these practices are unsustainable; if they are continued over time, our resources will run out.

In our post-carbon city, we strive to balance Earth's bank account. We will no longer use non-renewable resources like fossil fuels and rare minerals because most are on the brink of depletion. Renewable resources, like trees, water, and food, will be taken care of and used wisely, rather than exploited.

A post-carbon city also involves designing human systems - waste, water, energy, food, transportation - so that they coexist with nature. Currently, all of these systems are flawed and contribute to environmental crises. Our current food system relies on fossil fuels to power tractors, to process, package and transport food and to run fridges and other kitchen appliances. Agriculture also employs the use of pesticides and fertilizers, which are made out of oil and chemicals that are toxic to the environment. Water is being used at unsustainable rates, and at the same time we are polluting what few freshwater supplies we have left. We use copious amounts of electricity every day, and our two primary sources of electrical generation are fossil fuels - petroleum and coal. Petroleum is also used to fuel our cars, buses, trains and airplanes. We are generating more waste than we can handle; waste that could be composted and returned to the environment as natural fertilizer is instead laid to rest in landfills, where a lack of oxygen keeps them from biodegrading. All of these systems are flawed and contribute to our degradation of the earth.

Our post-carbon cities dispose of these harmful practices. Instead, we employ the community to garden together, using organic methods and planting for the seasons. This eliminates the need for transportation, since food is grown within walking distance of the community, and fertilizers and pesticides, which are not used in organic farming. We design innovative rain water catchment systems, and monitor water usage to make sure we are not using more water than the earth provides. We utilize natural energy sources like the sun and the wind. Our cities are designed so that everything we need is within walking distance; a car is no longer a necessary commodity. We ban all unnatural products, like plastics, therefore almost all of our waste is compostable. Our "trash" nourishes our gardens instead of rotting in landfills. Instead of degrading the environment, our city and all of its systems work in harmony with the land.

Although our future looks bleak, post-carbon cities are a ray of light shining through the darkness. By taking this alternative path, we can avoid polluting our earth and overusing its valuable resources.

Now, imagine a world of hope. The sun is shining, the sky is a vivid blue and life grows all around you in the form of blossoming daisies and towering oak trees. Even in times of darkness, you have an optimism and resilience instilled in you by your community. Every week, you watch and foster the growth of the community garden and know that you will never go hungry. All of your meals are loaded with fresh kale, tomatoes and apples that you picked yourself. Your showers may be shorter, and you may not have your own laptop, but your sense of community, wellness and quality of life have grown exponentially. You work with your community to achieve a common goal - a sustainable existence with each other and with your environment. This is the bright future of a post-carbon city.