Over Fossil Fueled: The Fundamentals for a Low-Carbon Diet - Juniper publishers
Journal of Trends in Technical and Scientific Research
Abstract
The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) issued a challenge to the international community to
achieve even greater reductions in carbon emissions than was previously
believed desirable with its report on October 08, 2018. This will require a
fundamental reevaluation of our current perspectives regarding a comprehensive
energy strategy, given that economic growth is closely allied with energy use.
World energy demand is likely to continue to increase, especially among those
countries with an expanding population and/or expectations for higher standards
of living. Thus, the task for policy-makers is to create an environment
allowing power-generating methods to flourish, thereby establishing a stable,
efficient, cost effective foundation of all available low-carbon sources of
power production in supporting an expanding national economy. This commentary
highlights a few of the challenges, benefits, and risks of the global
transition from a fossil fuel based economy to green energy alternatives.
Keywords: Climate Change; Energy
Policy; Globalization; Green Technology; Fossil Fuels; Economy
Abbrevations: IPCC:
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, EROI: Energy Return on Investment
Introduction
With the release of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report “Global Warming of
1.5°C, an IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above
pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in
the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate
change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty” [1] on
October 8, 2018, once again the Global debate surrounding the stark realities
of earth’s warming climate is staring us in the face. In its report, the IPCC
recommended limiting global warming by 1.5°C above pre-industrials levels,
thereby reducing the greater impacts to human life and the global ecosystem
than those consequences currently believed associated with a 2.0°C increase.
This report reignites the global policy-making chess game, as each State and
advocacy group begins to lobby for its own self-interest, while checkmating the
counter parties to gain the economic advantage.
Carbon dieting struggles
Much commentary will be put
forward from all sides during the implementation part of this policy-making
chess
game. However, one important and
unalterable take away from the IPCC report is that there must be a concerted
effort by the international community in bringing about a significant global
reduction in carbon emissions.
The overarching feature in this dilemma is that now, more than ever before
since humankind’s successful control of using fire for industrial applications,
economic output and growth potential is systemically interrelated with energy
use. As earth’s population continues to expand, with the coupled forward
progression of developing and under-developed economies, world energy demand is
only likely to continue to increase exponentially. Therefore, the imposing task
for more developed States is to reduce global carbon emission output to combat
the warming climate, without causing substantial self-economic harm. It may
also require that these more fully developed and economically superior
economies assist, financially or otherwise, less-developed/under developed
States to cultivate and transition to low/zero carbon energy sources. Such a
resultant transfer of wealth of this so called “green” money from ‘rich’ to
‘poor’ States may not currently, and for a foreseeable future, be feasible
given the realities of a number of States’ track toward more nationalistic
overtones.
Globalization and the
interconnectivity to the national economy through a disruption in global energy
markets was the oil crises of the 1970’s. Since then, energy markets have only
become more intertwined. Globalization and its impact on global commodity
prices since the mid-2000’s for fossil fuels and green technology alternatives
show a direct causal effect on local policy perspectives with some States
rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels to low carbon sources of energy
production. These technologically advanced and more financially stable
economies are better situated to absorb any impacts to the national economy
associated with such changes, but this is having a discriminatory impact on
developing and under-developed economies in their struggle to gain access to these
emergent technologies, given their limited resources and infrastructure.
The rapid rise in economic output
experienced by developing States over the last several decades, especially in
Asia, is strongly associated with the use of fossil fuels. Currently, fossil
fuels are integral to power-generating capacity, promoting positive capital streams
for these developing nation states. This positive flow of capital manifests
itself in the form of infrastructure maturity, transportation route expansion, and
new industries fermenting job creation allowing for continued growth,
innovation, and development, with a significant increase in the standard of
living for an expanding middle class. Studies in Bangladesh, for example,
demonstrate that government investment in rural electrification, 96% of which
comes from fossil fuels today, dramatically reduces what is known as ‘energy
poverty’ among the rural poor [2]. Thus, implementing low/zero carbon energy
solutions has the potential to initiate an extreme burden upon these States, where
fossil fuel use is currently driving poverty alleviation through these pathways
for sustained upward economic development.
Short- and long-term areas of
study
In the short term, one area of
suggested research is to seek a better understanding of the complexities of the
Energy Return on Investment (EROI) for nuclear power and other green
technologies, given that all power-generating systems emit carbon emissions in
either the front-end, operational, or the back-end cycles of use. This is not
an easy task given the range of literature and different methods for deriving
the final output of each power-generating source, with varied modeling
differences, which are exacerbated by the variance in processes among these
various power-generating systems. This may also require a realignment in attitudes
to comport policy goals regarding which power-generating system provides the
overall ability to positively limit or reverse the negative impact on global
climate change, while maintaining the sought after efficiency, stability and
growth potential of the national economy. Other areas of recommended research
and policy-making is how we can better harmonize the best use of all available low/zero
carbon emission power-generating systems to maximize efficiency and stability.
As other future low/zero carbon power-generating systems are developed, we
should begin now to comprehend and recognize the historical patterns of these
past developed low carbon emission technologies to comprehend what worked/what
failed in their roll out phases, to contemplate a successful template for
bringing forward these future developed low/zero carbon technologies. Finally,
the formation of pragmatic attitudes is needed that in discussing global
climate change, no nation is an island unto itself. The elephant in the room is
how much are certain economically advantaged States willing to sacrifice some
level of their standard of living for the greater good of the global community?
Conclusion
The task of transitioning from a
fossil fuel based economy to green technology alternatives will require a
combined local, regional, and international response. The consequences of climate
change will affect each nation state, and the citizens of those States, in
different and unique ways, but it will affect them. Thus, each State and
citizen are stakeholders in determining how best to meet this global test.
There are no easy answers in this policy-making chess game, but there is a
straightforward goal – The global community must come together to dramatically
reduce worldwide carbon emissions.
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