There are so many interconnected issues to consider and address that, in this article, I\u2019ll start with a more generalized view and return to some of the detail of individual problems and paths to a solution in future articles.<\/p>\n
With a swathe of worrying predictions of rising sea levels, soaring populations and runaway temperatures from credible organizations in every corner of the globe, it\u2019s all too easy to empathize with those who say it is too late to change direction; that the planet will \u2018correct\u2019 itself in time; or that technology will provide an easier solution at some unspecified time in the future.<\/p>\n And yet, rather being despondent about such dire prognoses, I believe we should treat them as an inspiration.\u00a0 As a spark to push us all to do more, to act quicker, and to strengthen our resolve.\u00a0 Because such forecasts offer us something invaluable: unprecedented clarity of vision.<\/p>\n We now know<\/em>, indisputably, the consequences of our behavior if we do not adapt our way of living; we know<\/em> that our response cannot commence at some hypothetical point in the future, but must begin now; and we know<\/em> that the ultimate goal of our journey is nothing less bold than a net-zero pollution planet.<\/p>\n In the face of such stark choices, what more motivation does one need?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The recent United Nations\u2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC<\/a>) special report on \u2018Global Warming of 1.5\u00b0C\u2019[1]<\/a> aims to strengthen \u201cthe global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty\u201d<\/em> \u2013 something we can surely all get behind.<\/p>\n The report highlights the scale of pressures currently facing our environment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n First, the bad news. \u00a0Warming from existing human-centric emissions (in other words, those already<\/em> generated) will persist over a time scale from centuries to millennia to come and continue to cause further long-term changes in the climate system. \u00a0If it continues at the current rate, global warming is likely to reach at least<\/em> 1.5\u00b0C above pre-industrial levels between 2030 and 2052 \u2013 and maybe more.<\/p>\n As the IPCC report makes clear, even a 1.5\u00b0C rise will hit humanity across the spectrum of basic needs, from health, livelihoods and food, to water supply, security and economic growth.\u00a0 Should temperatures instead rise by a quite plausible 2.0\u00b0C, that extra half degree is likely to add an additional 10cm to sea levels. \u00a0It doesn\u2019t sound much, but 10cm would be enough to trigger more extreme impacts on terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems, increasing ocean acidity while decreasing ocean oxygen levels, forever damaging marine biodiversity and fisheries.<\/p>\n Even limiting temperature rises to \u2018just\u2019 1.5\u00b0C will require dramatic intervention, with global CO2<\/sub> emissions requiring a 45 per cent cut from 2010 levels by 2030, and by necessity reaching net-zero by 2050.<\/p>\n Achieving 1.5\u00b0C will, the IPCC notes, require \u201crapid and far-reaching transitions in energy, land, urban and infrastructure and industrial systems\u201d<\/em> unparalleled in scale and incorporating deep CO2 <\/sub>reductions across all sectors. \u00a0Tellingly, such a target also assumes large-scale adoption of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies capturing between 100 and 1,000 gigatons of CO2 <\/sub>throughout the remainder of the 21st Century.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n Data from NASA paints a similarly somber picture. \u00a0In its report \u2018The Effects of Climate Change\u2019, NASA warns that the Arctic Ocean \u201cis expected to become essentially ice free in summer before mid-century\u201d<\/em> and points to an eight-inch rise in global sea levels since reliable records began in 1880.[3]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Daunting, whichever way one looks at it.\u00a0 So, in practical terms, just what is to be done?<\/p>\n CDR is rapidly establishing itself as a valid tactic for cutting greenhouse gases. \u00a0CDR solutions span everything from the very high-tech (equipment that sucks CO2<\/sub> straight from the air) to the notably low-tech (smarter land management).<\/p>\n Naturally, speed is of the essence, and a report from the US-based National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine suggests how we can fire some opening salvos in the battle.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Let\u2019s start with the low-tech: and here nature is on our side, having provided us with a planet full of CO2 <\/sub>absorbers in our plants, trees and algae. \u00a0Although hard to quantify precisely, three metric tons of CO2<\/sub> can typically be absorbed by one acre of forest each year. \u00a0Forestation as a whole, currently absorbs just under one third of our emissions. \u00a0So, in short, we need to grow more trees to absorb more CO2 \u2013 <\/sub>a process called \u2018offsetting\u2019. \u00a0\u00a0We can also address our approach to rearing livestock. \u00a0Letting animals graze over larger pastures, in contrast to intensive factory farming, helps aerate wider expanses of soil and encourages carbon-capturing grasslands.\u00a0<\/p>\n Inevitably, competition for land can constrain these natural remedies, but that\u2019s not the end of the story. \u00a0Biofuels represent a more high-tech natural answer and their benefits are twofold. \u00a0Firstly, growing crops for fuel absorbs CO2<\/sub> from the air. \u00a0Secondly, when those crops are burned (for heat or power) at a bio-energy plant, the released CO2<\/sub> can be permanently captured and stored.\u00a0 So-called \u2018bioenergy with carbon capture and sequestration\u2019 (BECCS) schemes, however, require large areas of land to become truly game changing.\u00a0 Something that has limited their usage up to now.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n More nascent carbon-capture technology offers hope in the longer term. \u00a0It\u2019s incredibly challenging to artificially extract CO2 <\/sub>from the air.\u00a0 Despite its serious impact as a catalyst of climate change, CO2<\/sub> represents just 0.04% of the atmosphere. \u00a0Finding it, and trapping it, means sifting enormous amounts of air. \u00a0But the technology to do this is improving all the time. \u00a0A prototype plant now operating in Canada captures around one ton of CO2<\/sub> daily. \u00a0The company behind it, Carbon Engineering,<\/a> has designed a similar, but much larger, plant in Texas that will capture around 5,000 kilotonnes annually, while a chain of three plants across Italy, Switzerland and Iceland collectively account for 1,200 tons annually. \u00a0Making a sound economic case for capturing carbon will, of course, be crucial for its widespread endorsement. \u00a0Here, the signs are good, with stored CO2<\/sub> potentially being used in industry as methane fuels and fertilizers.<\/p>\n The concept of net-zero \u2013 where the amount of CO2 <\/sub>produced is balanced by the amount taken out of the atmosphere – is gradually moving from the realms of conjecture to reality.<\/p>\n In June this year, the UK became the first major world economy to pass legislation ending its contribution to global warming by 2050.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 New rules will oblige the UK to render all greenhouse gas emissions net-zero by 2050, replacing a previous target of at least 80 per cent reduction from 1990 levels.\u00a0 Strategies will combine both offsetting and<\/em> carbon capture.\u00a0 Payback could be tangible: the government anticipates the number of so-called \u2018green collar jobs\u2019 growing to two million by 2030, and the value of exports from the low carbon economy rising to \u00a3170 billion annually.\u00a0 Other countries will be watching closely.<\/p>\n Of course, the best way to reduce the amount of CO2<\/sub> in the atmosphere is limiting the amount we unnecessarily release in the first place. \u00a0There is a vast and exciting movement under way to shift our economies to low carbon alternatives.<\/p>\n Notwithstanding the unfortunate withdrawal of the United States, the UN\u2019s 2016 Paris Agreement still spearheads global efforts in this regard. \u00a0Rewards can be sizable. \u00a0As the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) observes in its 2018 report on a low carbon transition in the energy sector, successfully managing this shift has the potential to \u201creduce inequality, boost sustainable development and create new economic opportunities\u201d<\/em>.[6]<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n Promisingly, the global drive towards green energy continues to forge ahead. \u00a0The Renewables 2019 Global Status Report[7]<\/a> states that in 2018, a further US$ 289 billion of new investment was made globally in renewable power and fuels. \u00a0In the power sector alone, renewable capacity leapt from 2,197 gigawatts in 2017, to 2,378 in 2018.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n Goldman Sachs, in its \u2018Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy\u2019 think-piece, states that a successful transition will require both public-private partnerships and international collaboration. \u00a0Synergy between three key elements \u2013 policy, technology and capital \u2013 is imperative. \u00a0Some US$ 10.5 trillion of investment in low carbon technology and energy efficiency will be needed by 2030 to limit temperature rises to 2.0\u00b0C, encompassing all sectors (power, transport, residential, commercial building, agriculture and industry). [9]<\/a><\/p>\n Putting the statistics aside, we need to accept that many countries, and their citizens, might struggle for stability amid such fundamental changes. \u00a0One instructive voice on this subject is anthropologist and environmental historian Jared Diamond, whose recent book \u2018Upheaval: How Nations Cope with Crisis and Change\u2019<\/em> draws parallels between crises at personal and national level and finds common solutions.<\/p>\n If the crisis in this instance is global warming, Diamond argues there are several stages to responding effectively, including: accepting responsibility, garnering comprehensive support, modeling solutions from other nations, and rebuilding identity through honest self-appraisal and flexibility. \u00a0Just as there are many examples of major nations having rebounded from significant crises (post-WW2 Germany and Japan among them) the world, similarly, already has the capability<\/em> to respond from the climate peril and emerge stronger as a result.\u00a0 What continues to be needed is the will and policy direction to move into action.<\/p>\n Will such global thinking be essential to mitigate the effects of climate change?\u00a0 Undoubtedly, if \u2018first\u2019 and \u2018developing\u2019 worlds are to have equitable means of cleanly producing power for their societies; or if further environmental decline forces us to confront difficult issues such as border strife and migration.<\/p>\n \u201cNations and individuals accept national and individual responsibility to take action to solve the problem,\u201d<\/em> writes Jared Diamond, \u201cor else deny responsibility by self-pity, blaming others, and assuming the role of victim.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n It\u2019s clear to me which path we must choose in the climate crisis.<\/p>\n At Abdul Latif Jameel, we recognize that a problem exists and that its scale is considerable \u2013 but we also take ownership of the problem by embedding it in our long-term mission.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Through Fotowatio Renewable Ventures (FRV<\/a>), party of Abdul Latif Jameel Energy<\/a> we are harnessing low carbon solutions such as wind and solar energy<\/a> to generate clean energy across a growing global footprint.<\/p>\n In April this year we further expanded our active global solar portfolio by beginning power generation at two new sites: the Lilyvale Solar Plant in Queensland Australia (powering 45,000 homes while saving 175,000 tons of CO2<\/sub> per year); and the Al Safawi Solar Plant in Jordan (a 150 hectare site powering 21,000 homes).\u00a0 Lilyvale is one of six Australian projects and Al Safawi one of three in Jordan.\u00a0 We\u2019re currently constructing a 50 MW solar farm in Spain, too.<\/p>\n In tandem with solar, our wind projects continue to gather pace.\u00a0 In Chile<\/a>, we\u2019re developing our first hybrid solar-wind plant in a project that will power 224,000 homes and save 221,000 tons of CO2<\/sub>.\u00a0 We\u2019re also active across other markets Latin America including Mexico and Uruguay, and continually assess opportunities in other countries.<\/p>\n In January, we entered the Japanese energy market with a project<\/a> to install micro wind turbines that began with the initial two at Cape Erimo in Hokkaido.\u00a0 With a capacity of 20 KW each, these new installations will bring the total micro-turbines to be delivered through this project to 20: 6 units in Hokkaido, 12 in Aomori and 2 in Akita.\u00a0 Their combined power will generate a total of 400 KW into the national grid: enough to supply energy to around 400 typical homes and saving around 1,000 tons of CO2<\/sub> annually through 20 year agreements with regional power companies Hokkaido Electric Power Company<\/a> and Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc.<\/a> respectively.<\/p>\n It is a small step, but one that is a sure sign of our intent.\u00a0 In partnership with FRV, more than fifty further turbines will be added in the coming years.<\/p>\n![\"Unknown](\"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Climate-change-protester-in-Belgium-240x300.jpg\")
Risks of inaction<\/h2>\n
![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Global-surface-temperature-relative-to-1951-1980-average-temperatures.png\")
![\"Global](\"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Global-Carbon-Project-1024x683.png\")
<\/p>\nSolution One: Dealing with our existing carbon<\/h2>\n
![\"Title:](\"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2019\/11\/BECCS-Generating-bioenergy-from-carbon-capture.jpg\")
\nSource: Nature Climate Change journal, volume 5,\u00a0 2015<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSolution Two: Transitioning to a low carbon economy<\/h2>\n
![\"Renewables](\"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2019\/11\/REN21.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
Investing in our shared future<\/h2>\n
![\"Lilyvale](\"https:\/\/www.alj.com\/app\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Lilyvale-Solar-Plant-in-Queensland-Australia.jpg\")
\nPeak Power: 125.00 MWp, annual Production: 283,325 MWh\/Year; CO2 Avoided: 175,000 t\/Year, Households Supplied: 45,000 Homes, Area: 400.00 Hectares, Type: Single Axis Tracking System.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n