Challenges and Opportunities Related to Decarbonisation
Context:
- The industrialized nations must move quickly to decarbonize while maintaining their military capabilities. They must follow through on what they say. Our only hope to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees is at that point.
Changing Climate:
- Climate change covers both the significant alterations in weather patterns brought on by the planet’s warming as a result of greenhouse gas emissions produced by humanity. Although there have been periods of climate change in the past, since the middle of the 20th century, people have had an impact on the Earth’s climate system that is unprecedented.
- Climate change is the periodic alteration of the Earth’s climate caused by variations in the atmosphere and by interactions between the atmosphere and other geological, chemical, biological, and geographic elements of the planet.
- Weather patterns may become less predictable due to climate change. Additionally, it is bringing on hazardous weather events including more frequent and powerful hurricanes, flooding, cyclones, etc.
- Despite having only 12% of the world’s population as of today, developed nations like the United States, Canada, Japan, and much of western Europe are responsible for 50% of the greenhouse gases that have been released into the atmosphere over the previous 170 years as a result of industrial activity and the burning of fossil fuels.
- As a result, richer nations are viewed as accountable.
Need for developed nations to respond quickly:
- According to the IPCC, a global climate catastrophe is currently taking place as the COP 27 summit is being held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Extreme weather events are happening more frequently and with higher severities due to global warming, which has already increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius.
- By the end of this century, the global temperature will have increased by 2.8 degrees due to the current commitments and activities of several countries.
- It looks that the window of opportunity to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees is rapidly closing. Carbon emissions must decrease by 45% by 2030 and reach zero by 2050 in order to prevent this. Is this probable? Not right now, no. Is it beneficial? Yes.
- More than 70% of the world’s carbon emissions are attributed to the G-20 member countries. The future of humanity will be determined by what people do in the following years, particularly what the US and China do. How rapidly they decarbonize will be the determining factor.
Difficulties affecting developed countries:
- The main challenge is politics. For instance, Republicans continue to underestimate the importance of responding quickly despite the fact that there is internal disagreement in the US. The US was stopped from ratifying the Kyoto Protocol by Barack Obama’s administration, and President Trump removed it from the Paris Agreement until it was subsequently readmitted under Joe Biden.
- The US’s newly appointed conservative Supreme Court recently declared that the Obama-initiated Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approach to demand a gradual reduction in carbon emissions, which was having good benefits, was unlawful without Congressional consent. At this time, it doesn’t seem practical to pass legislation only addressing climate change.
- China now has the most emissions because it is the world’s top manufacturer. After committing to becoming carbon neutral by 2050, the West has set a goal of reaching net zero by 2060. Net zero must be attained far more quickly.
- It would be crucial to defeat the vast, international fossil fuel lobby’s desire to delay the switch to green energy.
Possibilities in advanced economies:
- Electric cars (EVs) are already available and are becoming more and more popular worldwide. The UK has already established a date of 2030 while Europe has committed to stop selling automobiles with internal combustion engines by the year 2035. Due to the electrical system’s rising share of renewable energy sources, EV mobility will be carbon-free.
- Heating systems are being driven to switch to electricity due to the high expense of gas. The reduction in emissions required to maintain global warming below the target range of 1.5 degrees Celsius may be attainable as more people switch to electric heating and transportation systems, which simultaneously decarbonize.
- Fossil fuels can be replaced by hydrogen. One such technique uses green hydrogen produced from renewable resources. The cost of this alternative fuel is declining. The road to net zero would become increasingly obvious when advancements are made that allow for their industrial-scale adoption.
- Reduced taxes on products that produce little to no carbon emissions can speed the changeover. Different import charges would encourage exporting nations to adjust.
India’s role in the same:
- By promising to build 500 GW of fossil fuel-free generation capacity and cover half of its energy needs with renewable sources by 2030, as Prime Minister Modi stated at COP26, India has demonstrated admirable climate responsibility.
Conclusion:
- The main industrial economies must act immediately to quickly decarbonize. Their words must be matched by their actions. Our only hope to keep global warming to 1.5 degrees is at that point.
