Avoiding Climate Disaster
Bill Gates’s book How to Stop a Climate Disaster is a practical manual on the necessary steps to bring our carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. There is no blame, rather a very specific goal to reduce the annual global emissions of 51 billion tons of carbon to net zero. To put this in perspective, the pandemic of 2020, which pulled the hand brake on the world’s economy only reduced annual emission by five percent and we obviously need to avoid the death and the economic disaster that resulted in the reduction. In fact, Gates expects to reach zero while continuing to grow economies and improving the standard of living of the most vulnerable. How do we do this? Will Power. Where do we direct this will power? Gates identifies four major sectors to focus efforts.
Sea level rise will impact
low lying areas in southwest Tobago. Planning for climate mitigation is needed.
Photo by Anjani Ganase
How we make things (31 % of global carbon emissions)
Manufacturing of concrete and steel produces the largest portion of carbon emissions. It’s not just the energy source we use to make steel and concrete but the process of making these materials that releases significant amount of carbon into the atmosphere (1 ton of steel = 1.8 tons of CO2 released). Have a look around, our developed world is built on these. What is the third material seen all around? Plastic exists in every part of our lives (lightweight cars, appliances, medical supplies). Demand for all three materials is expected to rise by about 51 % by mid-century. Steel and concrete are major industries in Trinidad and Tobago, a spin off our fossil fuel industry. As the world actively moves away from carbon intensive materials or transitions to cleaner alternatives, can we change?
What we eat (19 % of global carbon emissions)
Cow farts and belches are big culprits but combined with the clearing of trees (and loss of soil) and the food grown to feed cattle make this industry extremely damaging to the climate. Since 1990, we’ve lost half million sq miles, an area bigger than south Africa, to deforestation and cattle farming. The invention of synthetic fertilizers may have revolutionized agriculture to feed more people than ever. However, fertilizer has a huge carbon footprint in its production, transport and application (which typically results in as much as 40 % emission of nitrous oxide, the other greenhouse gas). Fertilizer is so cheap there is no incentive for farmers to tightly regulate its use. Solutions include research into slowing the release of the fertilizer for more efficient use and developing specialized bacteria to regulate nitrogen. Trinidad and Tobago produces fertilizers as part of the petrochemical industry.
How we plug in (27 % of global carbon emissions)
In my lifetime, the supply of electricity is stable and necessary. Still, 13 % of the world’s population are without electricity (mostly sub-Saharan Africa) and there is urgency to get people plugged in as it significantly improves their health and lives. Clean electricity includes renewables and non-carbon sources such as geothermal and nuclear. However, there are significant difficulties in the storage of renewable energy; and the intermittency of the sun, waves and wind, which vary between day and night, as well as seasonally. Furthermore, these alternatives and the materials used to develop them take up far more ecological space to produce the same amount of energy. In Tobago and Trinidad, there is need for a national plan for renewables; at the moment, electricity from natural gas is still relatively cheap.
How we get around (16 % of global emissions)
This is the sector that is perceived as the biggest carbon emitter. Cars, trucks, planes and ships all contribute tons of greenhouse gases, and in Trinidad the use of private vehicles is a major contributor. We can reduce by making transport more efficient and using electrical vehicles. This will then improve more significantly as we shift to alternative power sources.
Solutions to improve these sectors lie in innovation and point to the need to increase investment in research and development. Gates highlights innovations of the past to showcase how it possible to make massive changes in the future. Over the last hundred years, we have changed agricultural science to feed billions, increased our lifespan and connected everyone via the world wide web; he is confident that similar research and application can solve the current problems. The US government leads the world in research and development, contributing over 50 % in funding to the global R&D. T&T needs to invest in adapting its energy sector so that we stay relevant in a world that is transitioning quickly.
Policy and Planning
The UN has declared that small-island nations will be most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change through loss in life, livelihoods and national security. Few of our politicians even mention climate change in their rhetoric. Yes, the onus is on the big nations to turn off the faucet of greenhouse gases, but our government must mitigate the effects of climate change and at the same time move our economy to a fossil fuel free future. This transition will come at a higher cost, because the true cost of fossil fuels was not considered. We need government concessions for research and development in alternative energies and climate adaptation. The government also needs to provide integrative urban planning to avoid further loss of natural habitats, which will be our best defense against climate change.
What each of us can do
The choices we make to lower carbon emissions will change the way we govern and do business. At the personal level, consider changing your eating habits. The more cattle we consume the higher the carbon footprint. There is no need to go vegetarian: scientists have shown that even if you cut out red meat a couple days of the week, this makes a big difference in your carbon footprint, and lowers your risk of heart disease and cancer. Support companies that work to reduce their carbon footprint, it will send a message to the government that we want better. Most importantly, consume less and use fewer resources. Remember that even alternative carbon neutral sources still use resources that are mined and extracted from nature. Getting to carbon neutral does not necessarily mean that we don’t impact the environment in other ways. Take more walks, switch off, read a book and enjoy the simpler things.
Reference:
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, The Solutions we have and the breakthroughs we need. By Bill Gates
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