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Many people have different opinions on the reality of “climate change” (CC) and the kind of effort and attention it requires. Some are even still skeptical that the adverse effects of climate change are unbearable. The effects of climate change affect agricultural productivity and endanger animal life and biodiversity.
World leaders and relevant stakeholders, aware of the importance and the devastation that awaits them, have realized the need for a concerted effort and action to directly or indirectly reduce the human activities that will endanger the whole world. due to climate change issues. This desire aroused the popular “Paris Climate Agreement ” where, in 2015, nearly 200 countries pledged to keep this century’s average temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius (° C) and to continue their efforts to limit the temperature rise to 1.5 ° C above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change. Since then, various government agencies and the private sector have taken steps to find a sustainable solution to climate change.
To reduce the impact of climate change, there should be a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere, among others. This means that reducing emissions will slow the world’s progress towards a dangerous temperature threshold beyond which climate impacts are likely to become more severe and more widespread, including droughts, extreme heat waves and flooding.
As previously stated, the causes of climate change are as a result of human activities and these include the continuous burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to generate electricity, driving cars and other forms. transportation using fossil fuels; and power generation and industrial activities. with that. Human activities through deforestation are also a major contributor to climate change. The roles played by GHGs are huge, so gases like water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) absorb energy, slowing or preventing heat loss in the environment. space, thus acting as a blanket and warming the earth. than it would be otherwise.
Reality and chaos
Extensive research into the reality of climate change has been carried out by various reputable research institutions, private organizations and government agencies. The results of this research have aroused the need for pragmatic actions on the part of state agencies and private actors to reduce actions that contribute to climate change.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) to provide an objective source of scientific information on the climate change, revealed that climate change is real. He identified human activities, largely the release of polluting gases from the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), as the main cause. IPCC report on the effects of climate change shows that today there is a 1.1 degree increase in the increased frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events due to heat waves, droughts, floods , winter storms, hurricanes and forest fires.
In 2019, research conducted by WMO found that 2019 witnessed a decade of exceptional global heat, receding ice and record sea levels driven by human-produced greenhouse gases. . All of these and more are scientific evidence to support the fact that climate change is real and its impact is a major concern for human survival.
It has been established that most of the causes of climate change emanate from human activities. A report from the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii found that the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our atmosphere as of May 2020 was the highest in human history, at around 416 parts per million (ppm). The last time the Earth’s atmosphere contained so much CO2 was over three million years ago, when sea level was several meters higher and trees were growing at the South Pole.
The most abundant greenhouse gas, accounting for about two-thirds of GHGs, carbon dioxide (CO2), is largely the product of the combustion of fossil fuels, while methane, another component of GHGs that is also the main component of natural gas, is responsible for more than 25% of the warming we know today. It is a powerful pollutant with a global warming potential more than 80 times greater than CO2 during the 20 years following its release into the atmosphere.
In addition, 11% of all global human-caused greenhouse gas emissions are due to deforestation comparable to emissions from all passenger vehicles on the planet. Human activities of deforestation, bush fires, firewood, illegal mining activities and human settlements, among others, have destroyed the beauty of the world’s vegetation cover. When forest areas are burned, carbon that has taken decades to store is immediately released into the atmosphere. Another research found that 11% of the world’s population, or around 800 million people, is currently vulnerable to the impacts of climate change such as droughts, floods, heat waves, extreme weather events and rising temperatures. sea level.
Decarbonization and carbon sinks
Aware of the real impact of climate change and the devastation it is wreaking on human lives and properties, it is necessary to ensure that the human activities that cause climate change are limited and this can be done in such a way as to reduce the carbon content of the atmosphere. . Of course, this is possible thanks to decarbonization and carbon sinks.
Decarbonization is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions using low-carbon energy sources, which helps reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the atmosphere. The decarbonization of the energy mix aims to achieve two key objectives: one is the displacement of fossil fuels from the power generation sector, the other is their displacement from the transport sector. Reducing the amount of carbon dioxide produced from transportation and power generation is essential to meet global temperature standards set by the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Kroposki et al. (2017) and MIEM (2018) find that the displacement of fossil fuels from the power generation sector can be considered at an advanced stage: in many regions, wind and solar power is already integrated into the power grid, and in some cases (eg Norway, Costa Rica, Uruguay), the electricity mix is now close to 100% renewable energy. The production of electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar, seen as efficient and environmentally friendly, is gaining ground globally. Renewable energy sources now produce a third of all the world’s electricity capacity.
While the displacement of fossil fuels from the power generation sector is at an advanced stage, the replacement of liquid fuels in the transportation sector is lagging behind. For short range applications, battery electric vehicles seem to be the most suitable solution. For medium and long distance or high load applications, the size of the batteries and their weight become an obstacle; in these cases, electric vehicles powered by hydrogen are promising alternatives (Hydrogen Council, 2017). The global transport system operates primarily on carbon-based fuels such as diesel and petroleum, and therefore increasingly widely used electric vehicles would improve the transport sector’s contribution to reducing carbon emissions. The gradual shift on a global scale to “Green and sustainable energy” is to reduce fossil fuel production and use; an important way of decarbonizing can be achieved.
Another way to escape the harmful and catastrophic effects of climate change is to maximize the use of carbon sinks. A carbon sink is anything that absorbs and stores more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases as carbon dioxide. Thus, the need to manage ecosystems and habitats that act as critical natural carbon sinks to ensure that they retain as much of the carbon trapped in the system as possible and do not tend to become sources in the system. atmosphere.
Carbon sinks are natural or man-made deposits that absorb and store carbon from the atmosphere, thus helping to reduce the greenhouse effect. The main natural carbon sinks are plants, soil and the ocean. The performance of these is affected by climatic fluctuations and seasons, during summer, when the weather is warmer, plants and trees can absorb more CO2, during winter they absorb less which causes an increase in atmospheric CO2 levels. Good management will ensure that natural carbon sinks are protected in order to function effectively. As nature wants it, it has programmed its activities so that the planet balances the temperature of the earth through carbon sinks.
The oceans are considered to be the primary natural carbon sinks, as they are able to absorb around 50 percent of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere. Ocean and terrestrial carbon sinks absorb about half of carbon emissions. There are also man-made carbon sinks that help absorb and trap carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and reduce its concentration in the air. Ultimately, the role of carbon sinks in preventing the increase in carbon levels is of paramount importance when it comes to controlling the emission of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Seeing that climate change is real, the sooner the world acts, the better. World leaders must rise to fulfill all the commitments made in the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change. The political actions of governments and private stakeholders aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of climate change must be strengthened. After Covid-19, massive investments in green and sustainable energy sources will be the key to economic recovery.
Writes Emmanuel Kpogo and Xatse Derick Emmanuel, Institute for Energy Security (IES) © 2021
Xatse Derick Emmanuel is a research analyst at IES and holds a master’s degree in economics. E-mail: [email protected]
Emmanuelle Kpogo is a professional member of IES working in the downstream sector of the petroleum industry, with a research interest in sustainable energy supply. He is a certified supply chain, purchasing and logistics professional specializing in contract management, oil and gas operations, strategy and business process improvement.
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