Options for Action regarding the Ecological Crisis

Research Paper ULP Online Winter School 2021 by Ann-Kathrin Hahn 03.032021

 

 

Options for Action regarding the Ecological Crisis

 

Let me start this essay by expressing my gratitude towards the University of Life and Peace team for organizing the Winter school in January 2021. I have not heard about this project until the end of last year, so it was my first time participating and I learned a lot during those two weeks. Once I heard about this opportunity, I wanted to apply to the school immediately, because I was happy to hear that people who are educated in a variety of professional fields want to come together to talk about the ecological crisis. Like it was mentioned during the meetings of the winter school already, it is the biggest challenge that humanity must deal with. We are not facing this problem in the unforeseeable future; we rather have to take actions in the present time.

 

But what are the options for possible actions and how do we make sure that change is implemented? It is especially hard to decide on actions that can be implemented on a global level, because it will not be enough if single country or several countries on one continent make up a plan.

 

When I am completely honest with myself, I get very pessimistic sometimes when I think about the global climate change and strategies that could be saving planet earth. In my opinion we still do not have enough solutions to the problems we are facing concerning the ecological crisis. Some solutions that are offered to us are evoking other problems and side effects, do not go as far as they should, or are simply not designed for global implementation.

 

Let me be more specific, one of the biggest problems right now are the increasing amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere that have a major impact on the natural heat balance of the earth. More specifically It promotes the heat absorption of solar radiation on the earth's surface. I want to citate Hanna Ritchie, a Senior Researcher and Head of Research at Our World In Data, who claims that in order “to prevent severe climate change we need to rapidly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. The world emits around 50 billion tons of greenhouse gases each year” (1).

 

These numbers are not surprising anymore considering how alarmed climate researchers have been for years, but one still gets terrified when looking at the actual graphs of CO2 increase in the last 10 years (see figure 1).

 

Figure 1 Total greenhouse gas emission Source: CAIT Climate Data Explorer via. Climate watch, OurWorldinData.org

 

 

I decided that in this paper I want to go through the different factors that are promoting the increase of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere and talk about the different options or solutions that have already been proposed to us. Furthermore, I want to explain why I think it is not correct to say that we already have all the solutions that we need in order to save the climate. However, with every remark I am trying to point out some concrete recommendations, that one can follow. I also want to apply the new insights that I got from the lectures of Prof. Collmar and Prof. Brunnhuber.

 

In my opinion there is not one simple solution to the problem. Instead there are many small decisions that have to be made on a personal as well as on an organizational and global level in order to stop the climate change. In order for this to happen people from different professions, political positions and cultures have to come together to talk about this important topic. Even though it was in a smaller group, we did exactly that in this year’s winter school of the ULP and I think this set a great example!

 

1. Greenhouse gas emission

 

In order to reduce the global CO2 emissions, one has to understand what the different sources are and from where the greenhouse gas emissions are coming from. According to ClimateWatch and World Resource institute the highest amount of emissions, with almost 75%, stems from energy use (see figure 2). To be more specific, the combustions of fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas that allows us to have electricity, heat up our homes and to transports us from A to B, has a major impact on our carbon footprint. The sector with the second highest amount of greenhouse emission is Agriculture and land use, with a share of 1/5th to 1/4th when you include all steps of the food system (food processing, refrigeration, packaging and transport). The rest of the emissions can be sourced to waste treatment and the chemical and cement industry. All of the three sectors are important for our every day living on this planet, however there are certain changes that can be made to decrease the carbon dioxide load.

 

Figure 2 Global greenhouse gas emssion by sector Source: CAIT Climate Data Explorer via. Climate watch, OurWorldinData.org

1. Energy

 

Let me start with the energy production and consumption. When reviewing the combustions of fossil fuels one can see that burning coal gives us the highest amount of CO2 increase in the Atmosphere (see figure 3). Having said that, it should be clear that every country in the world should focus on renewable energy and nuclear power in order to generate their energy needs. As the World Nuclear Association states on its webpage: “Over the course of its life-cycle, nuclear power produces about the same amount of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions per unit of electricity as wind” (2).

 

However, nuclear power comes with many risks. After the nuclear disaster in Fukushima which was caused initially by an earthquake and a tsunami and later revealed big safety errors in the power plant, Germany, my home country, decided to shut down all its nuclear power stations. Consequently, Germany is still relying on coal (24%) and gas (16%) to a large extend, which have a negative impact on CO2 emissions (3). Germany wants to increase the amount of renewable energy in the upcoming years, but I believe that big investments are still needed to improve the technology as well as the infrastructure and to find solutions on how to store energy.

 

Figure 3 CO2 emissions by fuel type Source: Global Carbon Project, OurWorldinData.org

 

Regarding the issue of Transportation, the simplest solution would be to encourage people to use their cars less and rely more on public transport. In urban areas in western countries, this could be a realistic option because the infrastructure is often very good in the cities and cars are not necessarily needed. This however does not apply to remote areas, where people are relying on their vehicles to get to their workplaces and local supermarkets. Therefore, the public transport in almost every country needs large scale investments, to shorten the transportation time within and outside the cities and to make it more attractive to people.

 

Another point is that many families in industrialized countries often have more than one car and are using Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) which are less fuel-efficient than other cars. Electric cars are on the rise now and it is definitely a good approach to a more environmental-friendly living, but again there are some negative sides to it. First, as long as the country in which the electric car is being driven and recharged, is still relying on fossil fuels for electricity production, one can’t speak of a “green solution”. Second, rare earth metals are needed for magnetic materials in order to drive the electric motors and are also used in the electronics and batteries. Consequently, we are yet again robbing the planet of its natural resources and in order to get the rare earth materials, mining activities are needed which are energy consuming and polluting. And lastly the recycling process of the batteries has yet to be improved. In conclusion one can say that we still need technical advances in renewable energy and the car industry to come up with new or improved solution to make transportation more ecological friendly.

 

2. Agriculture

 

As mentioned before, the production of food for the world population has a significant impact on the greenhouse emission. This sector does not only contain livestock farming and meat processing but also refrigeration and transportation of goods as well as land use change.

 

Often grasslands and forests must be cleared in order to have enough space for farmland and animal husbandry,. The deforestation affects not only the biodiversity but also disrupts the natural regulation mechanism of carbon absorption by trees and other plants. According to Climate Council, the “global loss of tropical forests contributed about 4.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year” (4). Therefore, many experts suggest that we should promote large scale reforestation in order to reduce CO2 emission. There already exist several projects promoting reforestation, like “Ecosia”, an alternative search engine to Google, that claims to have planted more than 100.000.000 million trees with its over 15 million active users (5). Those projects put in a great effort to make our planet greener and should definitely be supported more. On the other hand side, the world population is constantly growing which means that we need more and more farmland to feed every human – and animal on the planet.

 

Another problem of Agriculture is the use of fertilizers that are applied to the soil. Often the fertilizers are containing synthetic nitrogen, that is taken up by microbes in the soil, which then convert nitrogen to the strong greenhouse gas nitrous oxide. Even if farmers are using animal manure to fertilize their land, nitric oxide is produced and escapes into the atmosphere. It would be ideal to reduce the amount of nitrogen containing fertilizers in agriculture, however, nitrate is an essential nutrient for plant growth, and it will be difficult to replace it completely.

 

Concerning the livestock there are many discussions about organic production, factory farming and vegetarian or vegan diet. The fundamental problem lies in the fact that animals produce greenhouse gases through enteric fermentation. Especially cattle and sheep are producing a lot of methane, which together with the land use change causes for a negative CO2 balance. There is a significant difference in the type of livestock and the amount of CO2 emission during the food processing. In general, one can say that meat products have a larger carbon footprint per calorie than grain or vegetable products because of the inefficient transformation of plant energy to animal energy and due to the increased methane release in animals (see Figure 4). Therefore, it has been recommended to reduce the intake of red meat and to promote a meatless diet in order to decrease the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

 

Figure 4 GHG emissions per kilogram of food product Source: Our World in Data

After reviewing this chart, it is quite clear, that an individual decision towards a reduction in meat and dairy intake, or better a vegetarian and vegan diet would make a great impact on the Carbon dioxide emissions. However, it is important to point out, that this will apply to a change on the individual level and it will be difficult to set general rules for the whole world population.

 

In my opinion it would be more beneficial to promote a healthy diet with a high amount of vegetables and fruits and only small amounts of meat, rather than completely prohibiting the intake of meat. First, it will be difficult to implement change by telling people they cannot eat a certain product anymore that has been long established in their eating habits and their culture. Second, revaluating meat as a luxury product that is only going to be served occasionally will help to decrease mass factory farming and animal cruelty.

 

Except for promoting a healthy diet with less meat and dairy products and avoiding the waste of food, it is very difficult to reduce the Greenhouse emissions in agriculture. Farmland, fertilizers and crop production are important in order to meet the increasing food demands of a growing population. Therefore, we rely on new technologies and improvements in agriculture.

 

 

3. Industry and Waste

 

Similar to the higher demands on agriculture, there is also an increasing need for Industrial production and waste treatment with a growing population. This again affects the climate. Decomposed organic matter in wastewater produces methane and nitrous oxide and there is a high amount of CO2 production during industrial processes in factories. As I suggested before in the agriculture and energy sector there is a need for technical improvements and financial investments.

 

4. Conclusion

 

Where do we go from here? As I mentioned in the beginning of this paper, I do not believe there is a simple solution to the ecological crisis. The problem is very complex and affects various scientific as well as cultural fields. Over the course of the human life on earth the global population grew to over 7,8 billion people and the numbers are only rising. This subsequently means that every individual must have enough food, a secure home with heat and electricity, a job to pay for all his expenses and transport facilities to be able to get to mentioned profession, just to mention some basic human needs. However, the size and resources of the earth are limited, and the natural regulatory cycles can get disturbed easily.

 

This is why it is even more important to respect the planet that we are living on and express our gratitude towards the life we have here. We have to realize that lifestyle that people all over the world are living right now is not compatible with the nature and climate of planet earth.

 

During the winter school Prof. Colmar gave a very interesting presentation, that resonated with me a lot. He mentioned that the only way to solve the problem of the climate crisis is to call on our moral motivation (6).

 

- The moral motivation by individual human beings

- Moral motivation by institutional actors like companies

- Government regulation

 

I agree with this concept. The individual motivation of some people will not be enough to implement change that saves the climate. But it is indispensable for a change in strategies in companies and politics. One very good example is the “Friday for future movement” and Greta Thunberg. A few students who are conscious about the environment and motivate other people to be vegetarians, drive electric cars or stop deforestation will not change a lot in the greenhouse emissions. However, if enough people with the same mindset are coming together and raise awareness to the issue, some ideas can get picked up by political decision-makers who later decide for governmental regulations that can help to reduce green-house emissions. Perhaps even more important is the influence it has on institutional actors like companies. When institutions are changing their policies through their own motivation for “green solutions”, the transition will be implemented much faster. Furthermore, only if there is a high interest in the population for a sustainable and organic lifestyle, the financial system will find new solutions for investing the necessary amounts of money. I was very happy to hear about the concept of “Parallel currencies” from Prof. Brunnhuber that might help to finance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (7).

 

In conclusion, raising awareness and educating people about the climate change – on an individual as well as scientific level - is the first step to implement change. Every human being should educate themselves about the issues we are facing with the climate crisis and act accordingly. Of course, it is an individual choice what one can do personally to help reducing the CO2 emission, but it is important to be aware of the impact our action have on the climate.

 

The next step is the organization of meetings in which experts from all over the world and from various professional field (scientists, politicians, economists, financial experts etc.) are coming to together to talk about the climate crisis. The exchange of ideas, problems and opinions is essential in order to understand each other’s viewpoints and to achieve productive results.

 

 

Lastly, a common strategy must be developed that is supported and followed by every member or country. In my opinion, essential requirements are:

- phase-out of coal use

- investments in renewable energy and their infrastructure

- Investments in technologies for electric and hydrogen cars, public transport

- agreement to stop deforestation and promote reforestation

 

Of course, the concept of a global summit and a joint agreement is a very difficult to execute because every country - and every culture has their own resources and interests, which makes it almost impossible to find a common ground. It is however, at least in my opinion, the only way how to implement change and stop the climate crisis. It will not be enough if only some countries and regions are fighting the greenhouse gas emissions, while other parts of the world are continuing with their practices.

 

Bibliography

1. Ritchie H, Roser M. CO2 and Greenhouse Gas Emissions online: Our World in Data; 2020 [Available from: https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions.

2. World Nuclear Association. How can nuclear combat climat change online2021 [Available from: https://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-essentials/how-can-nuclear-combat-climate-change.aspx

3. Statistisches Bundesamt. Bruttostromerzeugung 2020 online2020 [Available from: https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Branchen-Unternehmen/Energie/_Grafik/_Interaktiv/bruttostromerzeugung-erneuerbare-energien.html;jsessionid=FEEB7D5BE2AC5C5B256B2939D96E2899.live721

4. Dean A. Deforestation and Climate Change online: Climate Council; 2019 [Available from: https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/deforestation/

5. Ecosia. Suche im Web und Pflanze Bäume 2021 [Available from: https://info.ecosia.org/what.

6. Kolmar M. The Climate Crisis: Economic perspectives on action and inaction. University of Life and Peace Winter School 2021; online2019.

7. Brunnhuber S. Tao of Finance. University of Life and Peace Winter School 2021; online2021.