Second, and perhaps more importantly, conventional thinking falsely assumes that rapid restoration will ensue on its own once we stop assaulting the planet. Unfortunately, a number of planetary changes such as the breakup of ice sheets almost certainly represent tipping points that, once transgressed, may take centuries to naturally recover. Even if we magically zeroed out emissions tomorrow, many of the worst impacts of climate change would remain inevitable unless we actively intervene to accelerate the recovery. This means we are far beyond the point where we can avert catastrophe merely by downgrading our individual lifestyles or imposing stricter rules on corporate and state polluters. Pretending otherwise is a genocidal gamble. No amount of bicycling to work or regulatory standards will pull a single gram of carbon out of the atmosphere, just as no amount of twiddling the faucet will drain any water from the tub.
There is only one way to eliminate emissions and withdraw hundreds of gigatons of carbon from the atmosphere and oceans by 2050 to actually solve the climate crisis: with technology. It will take global coordination and hundreds of billions of dollars to get the job done, but that is a bargain compared to the alternative.