Light and Diamonds: New Solutions to Fight Climate Change

Pollution and its effect on the environment are much-debated subjects. Those who believe in global warming are doing their part to reverse it, whether it is at an international level like Greta Thunberg or a personal level like the proponents of the zero-waste movement. Regardless of their opinion on the subject, everybody seems to be more focused on manufacturing corporations as the main culprits. Zero-wasters believe that by reducing their consumption of plastic, they will force corporations using or producing disposable plastic containers to stop their practices and therefore reduce pollution. Meanwhile, activists like Greta Thunberg want governments around the world to put in place laws to punish practices that affect the environment negatively, as well as creating solutions to slow it down or stop pollution. However, there are two main aspects of the problem that nobody is talking about: what do we do with the greenhouse gases that we have already created? Besides big corporations, governments and individuals, what can the people in between do to help fight pollution?

Image of a city taken by satellite.

Besides big manufacturing firms and individuals, other contributors to global warming include diamond mining corporations, billboards, parking lots and stadiums. Diamond mining is costly to the environment not just because of the way they pollute the environment (238 pounds of carbon dioxide emitted), but also because of the amount of water (1,028 gallons) it takes to produce just 1carat of diamond. BBC also reported that a study conducted by researchers from Tucson, AZ, Germany and Ireland revealed that the light left on at night in parking lots, stadiums and on billboards contribute a great deal to the pollution problem. The study published in the journal Lighting Research & Technology revealed that the energy wasted in an attempt to keep those places lit amounts to $3 billion annually in the U.S. alone. Those lights not only prevent us from seeing the stars, but they also disrupt the rhythm of migration for some animals and play a key role in climate change. So, private businesses are contributing in more ways than one to global warming. But there are ways to reverse the effects their practices have on the environment.

First, let’s fix the light pollution. One might think that we need a very complicated solution, but the solution to this one actually very simple. According to Christopher Kyba, the author of the study mentioned earlier, we need to come to an agreement about how to allocate the lights: we can dim them or shield them so that they don’t disturb the animals. In any case, it will require everyone’s participation.

Dale Vince Holding diamond created from sky carbon dioxide. (Image credit: Industry Europe)

Second, let’s “scrub” away the carbon dioxide in our skies. One way to clear the greenhouse gases is to plant more trees since photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide, according to the World Resource Institute (WRI). However, Ecotricity, a British clean energy company founded by environmentalist Dale Vince, came up with a very innovative solution: to create diamonds using the carbon dioxide in the air. Diamonds are the result of a chemical reaction involving mainly carbon dioxide and methane. Ecotricity is offering to change the source of those ingredients: they will take the carbon dioxide from the sky and create methane using the hydrogen present in rainwater. And more importantly, the entire process will be powered by the wind and the sun. Ecotricity projects they will be able to produce 200 carats of diamond every month using that method. If Ecotricity succeeds, we might see the birth of a new industry.

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