World 2050: Is Net Zero Carbon just another lofty goal?

Ice caps melting away. Credit: United Nations SDG

Climate change. Polar ice caps melting.

Forest fire in California, USA. Credit: ABC News

Climate change. Forests in California end up in flames.

Allow me to present some findings from two international agencies:

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the extent of climate change effects on individual regions will vary over time and with the ability of different societal and environmental systems to mitigate or adapt to change.

According to World Meteorological Organization (WMO), both the Arctic and Antarctica are warming twice as fast as the rest of the world causing melting of glaciers and ice shelves, shrinking sear ice and snow cover.

According to studies by a group of scientists at IPCC, they have arrived at the conclusion that global temperatures in the coming decades, will rise, with forecasting predictions of 2.5 degrees to 10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century.

Now, do you feel a tinge of anxiety? Maybe worry?

Probably not, it seems to most people, it is hard to put a familiar face to climate change, unless you happen to live in Forest-fire California or the Melting-ice caps Arctic region.

Much less so, if you're living comfortably in metropolitan city in Asia like Singapore, Malaysia or Hong Kong. But that does not simply negate the causes, effects and impacts of climate change. As a interconnected community, we will feel the ramifications of climate change as it is global, irreversible and more immediate in effects.

Tonghua Iron & Steel Group Co. plant in the Erdaojiang district in Tonghua, China. Credit: Bloomberg

Did you know?

Asia is home to three of the world’s top five polluters: China, India, and Japan. (SCMP, 2019), with the other two nations being United States and Russia.

It has been cited that heightened human activities have led to increase in global temperatures causing climate change.

There has been growing discussions that climate change should be an issue of social justice, and that urgency of the environmental situation calls for “the widest possible collaboration" among nation states, said by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Vatican.

Short excerpt with highlights from Washington Post. Credit Washington Post

In this article written by Joby Warrick and Chris Mooney in 2014, it stated (with citations from IPCC) that the current trajectory of industrial-related greenhouse gas emissions will result in a consequential state of irreversible climatic downfall. With effects such as extreme weather and rising sea levels, the panel of climate scientists warned and underscored the importance of adopting immediate globally-coordinated efforts of governments, communities and businesses to prevent current temperatures from 'crossing a threshold' that could culminate in far more cataclysmic climate events.

With that being said, by reducing our emissions of greenhouse gases now, the effects of climate change will be eradicated?

That is not entirely true. (sadly)

The report said some impacts of climate change will “continue for centuries,” even if all emissions from fossil-fuel burning were to stop.

“The window of opportunity for acting in a cost-effective way — or in an effective way — is closing fast,” said Michael Oppenheimer, a Princeton University geosciences professor

One of the remarks by contributing authors of the report, Professor Michael Oppenheimer. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, reacting to the report,

said it was time to move beyond the politicization of climate science.

Bearing that in mind, this was a report drafted 4 years ago, with the 6th climate change assessment report due to be published in 2022.

So who's to be blamed for this global issue?

Historically, the global north of industrialized nations (the United States and western Europe) has contributed most to global warming, accounting for half the carbon dioxide emissions since the Industrial Revolution, while China and India accounted for just 14 per cent.

So why do large-population developing nations like China and India have to be part of the global initiative to reduce industrial use of coal, in efforts to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Afterall, they are building and expanding their economy similar to those Western nations during the 18th and 19th century of the Industrial Revolution.

With the exit of United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, the proverbial baton of dealing with climate change has been handed to China and India, both countries which are deemed to be climate leaders. With China being a sizeable economic power wielding political influence within its region, it is only natural that the Middle Kingdom will step up and replace US in leading global efforts to curb climate change.

Now, what are global leaders going to do?

Most recently, UK Prime Minister, Theresa May announced plans to draft a law as a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, largely stemming from her belief that there exists a "moral duty to leave this world in a better condition than what we inherited".

According to the 2008 Climate Change Act, UK previously have a 2050 target to reduce emissions by 80%, but it seems that ambiguity and lack of reciprocity from other nations has led to its decline. As such, this new proposal seeks to transform the 2008 target to a legally-binding legislation.

Source: BBC UK

On another note, with the likes of Democrats, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 2020 Presidential candidate, has envisioned the goal of transforming every American home to be a “net zero” energy consumer, with each roof lined with solar panels.

“Uncle Sam is gonna mail you a kit”, said Mayor Pete in an interview with Yahoo News.

All in all, ideas ranging from climate-change laws to retrofitting plans to equip houses with environmentally-sustainable technologies are not bad or far-fetched ideas. They are practical , feasible and beneficial in the long run if we choose to invest in these areas of climate-friendly projects and protections. In fact, they will spur and compel us to do more in protecting our already fragile jewel planet.

The main issue largely lies with complacency, indifference and lack of understanding that climate change is indeed real (not fake news, Trump), and it has manifestly immediate and dire consequences for us. Sure, it may take another half a century, for the effects to be visibly apparent beyond the usual melting ice-cap narrative. To wait till then, and not act now would prove to be a gravely irresponsible mistake.

Now, let that sobering thought sink into your head, as you choose to give up on your plastic disposables and to always switch off that air-conditioner when not in use.

We can wait, but not Mother Nature. Sadly not.

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Find out more about the impacts of climate change on Singapore at https://www.mewr.gov.sg/climateaction