As well as its immediacy, STEP solutions have the following advantages compared with the long-term approach

•  Short-term Solutions Buy Time
Time, if used correctly, is money. By replacing industrial units with an updated, less polluting model once the old has reached the end of its life-cycle, is far more efficient than trying to modify the old unit in situ. This applies to generating stations, chemical works, transportation, manufacturing facilities.

Economic realities support such an approach and will punish more exorbitant schemes.

•  Treatment of Historical Emissions
As well as tackling future targets, STEP also addresses current and historical emissions. Kyoto does not deal with the historical problem (i.e. it aims to slow down the deposition of tomorrow's waste, but does not clean up yesterday's dung heap, let alone today's).

Several STEP schemes take CO 2 out of the atmosphere, i.e. just clean up the mess whoever made it!! This is essential, especially since emissions are set to RISE further before Lifestyle-Reform can kick in.

•  Relevancy
The problem with Lifestyle-Reform is that it will take many decades to implement, especially in the developing world. The exceedingly long timescale of this process inevitably leads to a public perception that "Nothing is Being Done"

Conversely, although short-term in geological terms, STEP projects have a lifespan more familiar to the public and therefore appear more relevant to the current crisis. They will thus, by engaging public support, maintain the focus required to ensure that the long-term goals are achieved.

•  Existing Industry
STEP projects can be built by existing industry with few upgrades. In particular the offshore industry, currently in the doldrums, would be re-energised with the creation of 000's of jobs. Spending money in this way is more politically acceptable than engaging in long-term research and development. Results are more likely to be seen within the tenancy of the resident political party.

Moreover, countries which develop STEP technologies will be in a position to establish specialised techniques and set standards before transferring the mature technology to other interested nations, either as part of a Government assistance package or on a purely commercial basis, or both.

• Not Restricted to 'permanent' Solutions
Of those already in the business of dealing with Global warming, many would like to see CO 2 locked up 'for good'. They are sceptical that governments would pay for any scheme which was deemed 'temporary'.

But what is 'temporary' in a Global perspective? Surely the last thing we would want to implement is anything irreversible, especially with an 'ice-age' overdue!. STEP technologies do not recognise this limitation.

•  Avoids disposal problems
Most other solutions are aimed at power stations or other concentrated CO 2 emitters. That means you have to extract the CO 2 on land, and transport it somewhere (maybe across borders) and then 'dump' it, with all the political and legal problems that entails. Then you have to hope that the 'country next door' will do the same.

How long will that take?
By extracting CO 2 which is already in the ocean environment, this problem is avoided. Indeed by transferring it as a crystalline hydrate directly to the deep ocean, one bypasses the acidification of the upper water levels which is so damaging to sea-life, corals and shellfish for example.

•  Geo-balanced
By augmenting natural geosystems STEP minimises the chance of causing major imbalances by upsetting natural rhythms and mechanisms. For example, the stimulation of ocean mixing is merely an extension of nature's global thermostat mechanism.

Carbon Trading
Until now, there has been little incentive to reduce GHG emissions. However, with the commencement of carbon reduction measures and carbon trading there is suddenly a very real and immediate financial incentive for saving the world. Over forthcoming years, as restrictions tighten and the market broadens, it's not difficult to see that carbon is set to be the 'black gold' of the 21st century.

As an example, a typical STEP cloud-cover project would produce enough cooling to counteract 8 central generating stations, allowing them to stay in production until replaced by more environmentally-friendly units.

Imagine the financial value of that!

Hand-in-hand with trading is Carbon Taxation. Responsible Governments will start to raise revenue by taxing carbon emissions and using the money to stimulate alternative measures, allowing capitalist mechanisms to join hands with environmental ideals.