COP 26: Global and Personal
At this
defining moment in human history, will the world’s representatives make the
right choices. Whether they do or not, there are things that the rest of us must
do to live with climate change. Pat Ganase comments. (First published Newsday Trinidad and Tobago November 4, 2021)
We imagine it could be worse. It could be a zombie apocalypse. Or New York city freezing over in one day. Or a hurricane that sits for 20 hours over one island and demolishes every structure. Or a tsunami that ends 230,000 lives in an instant. Our current life-threatening situation is the prospect of a hotter world, with more violent storms, flooding and drought, and sea level rise, maybe next year or next decade. Perhaps not imminent enough to make us truly fearful.
The truth is the earth is a dynamic natural system, self-regulating and balancing the levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the ocean. This balancing act comes with consequences as humans continue to pump excess CO2 into the atmosphere. We are on a trajectory of a hotter world, acidic oceans with no likely “return to normal.” The science of climate change is based on models built on data collected over decades and centuries. This is “nature” and why should we be worried?
WHAT IS COP 26
This is the 26th UN Climate Change Conference. The first Earth Summit was held in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro establishing the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to discuss the 1990 publication of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC’s initial assessment was that if greenhouse gas emissions continued to rise at the same rate, the world would warm up to 0.5 degree C every decade in the 21st century; accompanied by sea level rise of about 3-10 cm in the same time frame. There was no agreement on reductions needed; or targets.
By 1997, in Kyoto, specific emission cuts were suggested for developed countries. The Kyoto protocol was not ratified by the USA. Then considered a developing country, China’s carbon dioxide emissions tripled in the decade at the turn of the century- becoming a bigger emitter than the USA.
The UN process made its biggest leap forward in the 2015 Paris Agreement. More than 190 countries signed the Paris Agreement to commit to domestic actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, the reductions offered were too small to meet the global target.
Climate activists are demanding more ambitious targets from COP26.
The summary of the most recent IPCC report finds “that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require rapid and far-reaching transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities. Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching ‘net zero’ around 2050.”
WHAT IS NET ZERO
This means cancelling out the amount of greenhouse gases produced by human activity primarily in the energy sector but also in transport, manufacturing, and agriculture. This could be achieved by reducing emissions as well as implementing methods of absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. To achieve net zero emissions, we need to simultaneously reduce our carbon footprint and transition to alternative energy.
Why is this drastic action required?
Today, we are using about 60 % more of the earth’s resources than it can regenerate every year. Our current system depends on extraction – oil, gas, minerals and rare elements – which, according to a study done by UN Environment, accounts for more than half of all carbon emissions and more than 80% of biodiversity loss.
COP 26 should be a crucial turning point for the future of the human species, for the future of life on earth. Will this be a watershed in human civilization; will we make peace with nature? What will the politicians decide when winning is likely to look like losing to some? What are the consequences to leaders – and countries - who fail to meet their targets? Sanctions?
There seems not much an individual or family or community can do to change what happens after COP 26; but we can modify our own lives and influence others in our community. Here are some of the things we can do.
THE POWER OF PURCHASE
Make sure that your spend provides value: to you, to the vendor, to the planet. As far as possible, ensure that your food is grown as near to where you live as possible. This means going to the fresh produce markets. Seek out those who are catching fresh fish: never buy shark. Never buy wildmeat. Look for local meat producers; remember poultry has a lower carbon footprint than beef or pork. Locally grown sheep and goat are delicious. Sure you are still going to buy some imported food and the superstore nearby remains the convenient one stop shop, but even there you should question the use of plastic and packaging. Buy local as far as possible: keep seamstresses, local food processors (preserves, spices, condiments), homestyle caterers, small garden producers in business. Don’t buy what you don’t use or need.
THE POWER OF THE POLL
Question those who present themselves to represent you. Do they really think like you? Ask what’s in it for them? Ask what they think about natural systems, the fish that are not easy to catch, the water that must be collected from the hills; what they believe attracts visitors to the island; how they plan to protect your quality of life; and the quality of life of the living creatures – birds, trees, crabs and corals – that make your life worth living. Do they have your livelihood in mind? Are they creating climate mitigation measures to buffer future vulnerabilities, or are they increasing the risk?
One tree
may not make much difference but the earth breathes in forests: trees take in
carbon dioxide and release oxygen; they slow the water running off the land,
lifting it to the clouds. Photo courtesy Pat Ganase.
THE POWER OF TREES
Extensive forest cover is one of the earth’s most ancient carbon storage systems. They contributed to the creation of underground stores, now being exhumed as fossil fuels. At the current rate of deforestation, the Amazon is likely to reach a tipping point by the end of this decade: in which substantial swathes will become scrubland and savannah, and the cycle of rain-making (trees breathe in carbon dioxide, pull up water from the earth breathing out the condensation into clouds) will be altered. The Main Ridge Forest Reserve is Tobago’s rainmaker, securing a water supply for the island.
Even if you cannot plant another tree in your own yard, cultivate them in public spaces. Join tree planting groups and find spaces for trees: school yards, parks, untended land. Save seeds of your favourite fruit; allow them to germinate and give saplings as gifts.
THE POWER IN WASTE
We need to curb our disposable instincts in every aspect of our lives: clothing, electronics, food.
It is estimated that the world produces over two billion tonnes of solid waste each year, mainly food and organics, glass, paper and plastic. Nearly one-third of all food produced is wasted. Landfills are deadly, leaching chemicals into the earth, producing carbon dioxide and methane. We need to consider recycling valuable raw materials: the fabric in clothing, metals in electronics, plastics and paper. A circular economy eliminates the concept of waste altogether: industries can be built on reclaiming what would otherwise be wasted.
Are you prepared to change your lifestyle for the sake of your children’s children?
References
https://plana.earth/academy/what-is-difference-between-carbon-neutral-net-zero-climate-positive/
https://www.ipcc.ch/2018/10/08/summary-for-policymakers-of-ipcc-special-report-on-global-warming-of-1-5c-approved-by-governments/
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