Let us consider an alternative perspective on climate change: The sum of solar radiation and heat generated by human activity result in a net energy input of 1.96 times that of the Sun on the Earth's surface. The expanding global population is expected to exacerbate this issue. Potential solutions are proposed, including replacement and heat recycling.

Abstract

Climate change is typically attributed to the amount of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, in the atmosphere. Here we propose a different view, which takes into account the climate-effecting gas concentration but recognizes human overpopulation and the associated energy production as the real underlying cause. For the chemical industry, there is a lever to change things by replacing existing processes with more efficient ones and by recovering low caloric heat. In this way, the chemical industry can play the role of a driver, a pioneer in the fight against climate change, which underlines the importance of the chemical industry in industrialized countries.