Avoid climate disaster

The COP26 has just ended. This is the annual United Nations climate change summit attended by delegates from nearly 200 countries. During the plenary session, each country was allowed to say a few words.

There were some delegations that elicited sympathies. These were countries like the Maldives which said that it was already too late for them because rising sea levels were already happening in their country.

The result of the conference was a disaster for most countries as the large countries who dominated the drafting of the final statement were able to water down any possible breakthrough agreements. Draft of the final statement called on nations to “accelerate the phasing out of coal and subsidies for fossil fuel.”

However, a second draft was released which instead simply urged countries to move away from “unabated coal” and “inefficient subsidies for coal.”

Finally, on the final day of the conference, China and India wanted this whole phrase regarding coal changed from “phasing out coal” to “phase down unabated coal.”

The major countries like the United States tried to make it sound as if this was a groundbreaking proposal. It should be clear that China and India are the biggest pollutant countries in the world. Their energy sector is heavily dependent on the use of coal for power plants. Just a few days ago Delhi, India imposed a lockdown on the metropolis. This was not because of the pandemic but the atmosphere had become so polluted it was not safe for people to go out in public.

The poorer nations have long argued for reparations. Their argument is that it is the major countries who cause most of the world’s pollution but it is the poorer nations of Africa and Asia who suffer the consequences like rising sea levels, increase in typhoons and floods and wild fires. The rich countries would only agree to a dialogue. Mohamed Adow, in a much quoted comment, said: “In Glasgow the needs of the world’s vulnerable people have been sacrificed on the altar of the rich world’s selfishness.”

There are, however, some people who continue to look for solutions. One of them is the philanthropist Bill Gates who recently wrote a book: HOW TO AVOID A CLIMATE DISASTER: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.  Anyone interested in climate change should read this book. He has several proposals in his book.

Put a price on carbon. Gates proposes a carbon tax or a cap and trade system where companies can buy and sell the right to emit carbon. Putting a price on emissions is one of the most effective way of curbing emissions.

There will be opposition from fossil fuel companies, especially from coal-powered plants and gasoline and other fuel producers. But this seems more realistic than totally banning companies that produce high emissions. The objective is to make producers of emissions pay the price for polluting the environment.

Clean electricity standards. The proposal here is to require electrical utilities to get a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. However, power companies should be allowed any clean energy technology including nuclear energy.

Clean fuel standards. There should also be standards applied to other sectors such as cars and buildings.

Clean product standards. Performance standards can accelerate the deployment of low emissions cement, steel, plastic and their carbon intensive products.

Bill Gates has other practical proposals that we should study. One is his proposal that cities need to change the way they grow. As they expand, many of the largest cities build over floodplains, forests and wetlands that would otherwise absorb rising waters during a storm or hold reservoirs of water during a drought.

While all cities will be affected by climate change, the worst affected will be the coastal cities. As sea levels rise and storm surges get worse, millions of people may have to seek safer living space. There are natural defenses against climate change that are disappearing. Forests store and regulate water. Wetlands prevent floods and provide water for farmers and cities. In the coastal communities, fish depend on coral reefs for their food sources. These natural defenses are disappearing. Nearly nine million acres of old growth forest were destroyed in 2018. According to Gates, if the world hits 2 degrees Celsius of warming, most of the coral reefs in the world will die off.

The world must find a way to restore ecosystems. A suggestion that is especially valuable for the Philippines is preserving and enlarging mangrove forests. Mangroves are short trees that grow along coastlines, having adapted to life in salt water. They reduce storm surges, prevent coastal flooding and protect fish habitats.

Gates warns: “As lakes and aquifers shrink or get polluted, it is getting harder to provide potable water to everyone who needs it. Most of the world’s megacities already face severe shortages and if nothing changes, by midcentury the number of people who can’t get enough decent water at least once a month will rise by more than a third to over 5 billion people.”

Gates believes the answer lies in new technologies like making salt water drinkable.

The goal of zero emissions is possible. Unfortunately, the biggest obstacles are companies who place profits ahead of the survival of the world. Maybe the solution will lie in the hands of young activists who are not afraid to fight corporate greed.

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A final November writing date via Zoom: Young Writers’ Hangout: Nov. 20, 2-3 p.m. with poet & Ateneo professor D.M. Reyes.

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