Climate Change Mitigation

 

Climate change mitigation is the process of cutting, reducing or absorbing emissions of greenhouse gases in order to alleviate or stop further climatic changes. Climate change mitigation is the main reason for all the legal agreements and pacts that have been made over time. Climate is changing, and will continue to change in the near future unless very big changes are made in the way the world consumes planetary resources and develops.

To examine mitigation, it is essential to look at the major sources of ghg emissions. Energy makes up two thirds of global emissions while agriculture and related has the last third. By sector, electricity production accounts for 25%, industry produces 21% and transport emits 14%. Agriculture, forestry and other land use (AFOLU) is responsible for 24%. Buildings release 6% and other categories of energy contribute 10%.

Fossil fuel use is responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions. Energy is necessary for development, and to this day, this has been supported by fossil fuels. These emissions are mainly carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

The process of cutting or absorbing emissions from the atmosphere can be done through three major ways: energy efficiency, use of renewable energy, nature based solutions and carbon capture and storage.

Energy efficiency means the use of lesser amounts of energy for better or similar results. Energy efficiency can be practiced across sectors as applicable. For example, exchanging old electrical household or office appliances with modern versions which are better at utilizing energy, work faster and conserve energy.

As for buildings, use of sustainable and breathable materials is recommended. Insulation of buildings to prevent absorption or too much loss of heat is a major way to be energy efficient. Constructing big windows that are properly aligned so to let in natural light with respect to the sun is one of the ways of “greening” buildings.

Retrofitting old buildings instead of demolishing them to build anew is not only cheaper and cost efficient but is also easier.

A way to do this is combining rooftop gardens with solar panels, which not only beautifies buildings but helps produce energy to be used.

At the household or company level, it is better to use LED (light emitting diodes) bulbs for lighting than the incandescent type that uses more energy and produces more heat.

When it comes to the transport sector, electric vehicles and use of turbochargers is more climate friendly than the old fuel intensive models which also contribute to air pollution thus affecting human health.

As for people and human behavior, consumerism fuels energy consumption. It is encouraged to buy less and try recycling and reusing of products. An example: buying more durable pieces of clothing or furniture and eating farm to table products in order to avoid emissions created from the manufacturing and processing.

Walking and cycling to work or elsewhere not only has health benefits for the human body and mind, but also reduces transport emissions.

In unavoidable circumstances, one is encouraged to try carpooling. This method reduces traffic congestion as well and reduces air pollution.

All these methods are geared towards the use of as little energy as possible.

Use of biofuels such as biogas is also another method. Biogas obtained from household waste or animal manure is a viable method of being energy efficient. Biogas burns with a cleaner flame and is renewable energy. If just dumped in the open, the refuse is an environmental pollutant. When burnt it can be used as fuel. Traditional use of wood fuel and charcoal contributes to deforestation which releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Charcoal dust combined with other materials is used to make a type of fuel known as briquettes which burn for longer using smaller amounts and release lesser emissions. Such fuels can be made cheaper and easily available to the larger population.

Clean cooking fuel is an easy solution for household energy and is independent of the main grid. It is also durable, more reliable and cheaper.

Renewable energy is energy which can be easily and naturally replenished. Solar power obtained from the sun, wind power and hydropower are the main categories of renewables. Freely available solar energy can be tapped for small scale as well as large scale use. Rooftop solar is making inroads in Africa taking advantage of the large swathes of country bathed by abundant sunshine all year round.

Solar Panels - renewable power

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wind energy is also picking up, especially in areas of low population. Small hydro can be used in areas that are rural and have low energy needs. Both solar and wind energy can be captured in big farms for commercial use.

On a positive note, more efficient technology in the manufacture of batteries to save this type of energy continues to evolve for the better.

Renewable energy produces little to no emissions of greenhouse gases. Being naturally available and posing little environmental damage that can be rectified, it offers a way to support the global economy without causing dangerous harm to the environment.

Renewables need to extensively replace fossil fuels if emissions are to peak soonest and start falling until net zero in 2050. From then onwards it should be net negative, meaning more is absorbed from the atmosphere than is released.

Nature based solutions to climate change are some of the safest and natural ways of cleaning up the air. The biggest natural carbon sinks are oceans, soils and forests in that order. Oceans covering slightly less than three quarters of the earth’s surface absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in large quantities. In this manner, they serve to regulate climate.

But as the quantities of CO2 increase, so is the ocean affected. Human exploitation of oceans is a major problem affecting the ability of oceans to sequester carbon. Carbon stored by oceans is known as blue carbon. It is stored by mangroves, salt marshes, sea grass and algae. These fragile but highly efficient ecosystems store carbon in their bodies, in sediment and underneath the ground. But exploitation of the said through overfishing, the negative impacts of tourism, mining and other activities not only hinders the efforts of sequestration but also releases stored carbon.

Restoration of such ecosystems is through intentional legal protection by laws and willing community participation. Reintroduction of these species can revegetate these depleted but ecologically sensitive areas and help sequester carbon from the air.

Soils are the second biggest natural sinks. It is estimated that the first third of a meter of topsoil globally stores double the quantities of CO2 in the air. Invasive agriculture and increased land use such as urbanization has negatively affected soils throughout the world.

Plants and all green vegetation absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. They proceed to store this carbon in their trunks which later ends up in the soil as biomass. Invasive agriculture not only releases these stores butalso kills soil microbes.

The ways to alleviate this includes conservation agriculture, planting of cover crops, crop rotation for soil health, mulching, zero tillage, planting of indigenous crops and agroforestry. Another way is to re-convert farmlands to grasslands once again. Natural ecosystems absorb more carbon than agricultural lands.

In the polar areas, permafrost contains huge stores of carbon and methane which are trapped in the frozen soil. Due to increased temperatures, melting of ice exposes these soils leading to potential release of these climate warming emissions.

This is one of the reasons why climate change must be kept in check so as to avoid feedback loops.

Forests are the lungs of the planet and contains millions of undiscovered species. In conjunction with oceans, they support life. They absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, which is necessary for animal and human life. Forests also have various other benefits such as being a source of medicine, giving rise to rivers, housing an unknown number of biologically important and endangered flora and fauna, influencing climate and affecting precipitation. Forests are the best bet for the protection of the earth’s climate. They are one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world. Massive forests like the Congo and the Amazon forests are the last line of defence for global climate wellbeing.

Yet these natural defences are under constant threat from deforestation to make way for mining, agriculture and cattle rearing. In the Brazilian Amazon particularly, forest acreage is being lost at a fast rate due to human encroachment. Another threat to forests is wildfires, which are partly fueled by higher temperatures and droughts brought about by climate change

Replanting of forests, known as reforestation, and planting of new forests referred to as afforestation, is one of the solutions to repopulate areas lost to logging. Care should be taken however to make sure that only indigenous and native species are planted afresh in order to protect the local biodiversity.

Agroforestry is the planting of trees particularly the food variety inside farms. Such trees not only hold the soil together but they increase percolation and retention of water. They also provide fruits and firewood when properly harvested.

It goes without saying and is mandatory that enormous numbers of trees must be planted on the earth’s surface presently and in the future.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the next best time is now.” – Proverb.

Peatlands are watery ecosystems where huge reserves of carbon dioxide are stored. But these are also under threat from human exploitation. Re-watering these areas is one of the measures undertaken to restore the functions of degraded peatlands.

According to the IPCC, all the above mitigation measures, though good, cannot keep us within the goals of the Paris Agreement by themselves. Their efforts need to be augmented by mechanical removal of carbon from the atmosphere, known as carbon capture and storage (CCS).

These technologies capture more carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and inject it into rock formations for storage.

These technologies however are to a large part expensive and not readily available. Many are still in the development and research stage. Many, like ocean alkalization are not fully tested so the implications and ramifications of using them are not clearly well defined and known.

To conclude, mitigation is the primary goal of climate action. Emissions should by all means be reduced and prevented. Where unavoidable, offsets, whereby the emissions released are absorbed elsewhere, should be used.