Our climate is changing because of large portion of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere that blanket the earth and trap the sun’s heat by burning fossil fuels so as to generate heat and electricity.
Despite notable emission reduction over the last decades, transformed production and consumption systems to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 has been in progress. Reaching these goals will require even higher emission cuts through transitioning from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. Energy being at the heart of climate challenge; is the key to the solution.
Fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of all carbon-dioxide emissions. To achieve this, we need to end our reliance on fossil fuels and invest in alternative sources of energy that are clean, accessible, affordable, sustainable and reliable, CAASR.
In my previous work “Mitigating Global Climate Change”, discussions have been made on some of the means to tackle the global climate change, hence solutions to the menace include:
De-carbonization processes:
To keep the planet from warming, more than 1.5 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels of which most countries including the USA have goals to reach net zero by 2050. The word “net zero” means that all greenhouse gas emissions produced should counterbalanced by an equal amount of emissions that are eliminated. Achieving this will require a rapid de-carbonization, alongside reducing the amount of carbon-dioxide that we add to the air, and increasing the amount of carbon-dioxide we take out of the air. Hence, creating a carbon sink- a place where carbon-dioxide is pulled out of the air.
Moreover, conserving forests, grasslands, wetlands through crop rotation, cover cropping where carbon is held inside the plant and the soil, protects and make effective the existing carbon sinks are great measures to the fight for climate change.
Household waste and landfills:
In reducing household waste attracts putting up landfills which releases greenhouse gases. And, almost half of the gas released by landfill waste is methane – a special potent greenhouse gas. Landfills are the third largest source of methane emission in the US behind natural gas or petroleum use, and animals raised for food production and their manures. Each member of a household produces an average of 2kg of trash per day, and that is about 726kg of trash per person.
In Nigeria, households store their waste primarily in plastic bags, sacks and buckets. Here, contracted waste collectors collect mixed waste and transport it directly to dumpsite. Waste pickers at dumpsites recover valuable materials and waste are burnt at these sites. Currently, Nigeria generates 32million metric tonnes of waste annually (2.5million tonnes of this is plastic waste), study reveals.
Nevertheless, people indulging into conscious choice such as avoiding unnecessary purchases, switching to re-usable bags, bottles and beverage cups, reducing paper subscriptions and mails in favour of digital options, recycling and composting, all h will help in reducing household waste. We are aware that reducing emission from industry, manufacturing, mining of raw materials which deals with waste all take energy for their processing.
Industrial emissions:
Results of research has proven creditably that most factory products we buy generate up to 20% of the greenhouse gas, worldwide. There are ways to decrease these factory emissions in our manufacturing companies. These could be done by using materials that are not made from fossil fuels, and which do not release greenhouse gas. For example, cement releases carbon-dioxide as it hardens.
Though, there are alternative products that do not create greenhouse gases during the production of cement. These products include volcanic ash, certain clays, finely grounded limestone, ground bottle glass, or industrial waste products for conventional inputs. According to studies, they reduce the carbon footprint of cement by 7.70 to 15.56 Gigatonnes between 2020 and 2050.
Nevertheless, commonly used alternative fuels in the cement industry are biomass, industrial and domestic waste materials, scrap tires, and sewage sludge. Bio plastic made from plants are an also alternative to plastics that come from fossil fuels. Companies can use renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal to power their factory machines and ship their products, thereby enhancing fuel savings.
Meanwhile, reducing and avoiding our emissions require us to reshape everything we do – from how we power our economy, grow our food, travel, live and the products we consume. It is a challenge felt locally and globally.
By Okoko Chidozie Christian, chidochrisozonegold@yahoo.com, 09025179984.
