EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is part of an ongoing series that addresses some of the most fundamental questions about climate change, the science behind it, the effects of a warming planet and how the world responds to it.
Scientists and officials agree it’s important not to make things worse by burning more fossil fuels — coal, oil and natural gas — that spew hot gases into the air. In a 2021 report, the International Energy Agency said there would be no new investment in fossil fuels if the world is to meet its climate goals. The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change says “immediate and deep” cuts in fossil fuels are needed.
“Our addiction to fossil fuels is pushing humanity to the brink,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the 2021 climate conference in Glasgow, known as COP26.
The world today relies on fossil fuels for most of its electricity, heating and transportation, as well as for agriculture and industry. It is expected that cleaner alternatives – such as solar and wind energy – will replace much of that demand. While the costs of renewables are increasing, energy is produced in sustainable ways, although the total amount of energy produced worldwide has also increased.
“There is a rapid uptake of renewables, but emissions continue to rise,” said Elizabeth Robinson, the Grantham Research Institute’s Climate Change and Environment director. “We also need to see total global emissions falling, and currently global emissions from fossil fuels are still increasing.”
While renewable energy sources are good for electricity production, other industries – such as cement, steel and shipping – may find it harder to get rid of dirty fuels. That is why experts are looking at technologies that may help these specific sectors, as well as the possibility of “green fuels,” such as those made from plant materials or natural waste, known as biofuels.
New technologies such as green hydrogen, which uses renewable energy sources to make hydrogen available for energy, and carbon capture, which absorbs carbon dioxide from the air, are also being explored. but has a heavy price tag and has not been tested by a large. scale.
Methane, a greenhouse gas that is about 25 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide but only lasts in the atmosphere for about a dozen years, must also be greatly reduced. Countries have pledged to plug methane leaks from oil wells and gas pipelines with immediate benefits in preventing warming, scientists say.
Robinson also points to stopping deforestation and tweaking diets as solutions because forests naturally absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The use of land for agriculture, especially for livestock that also requires large amounts of land for grazing, means that forests must be cleared and large amounts of greenhouse gases are emitted into the air.
“This is a very controversial area, but in most higher-income countries, most people eat more meat than they should,” Robinson said.
In addition to limiting climate change, people must also learn how to live with some warming. Figuring out how to prevent warming while simultaneously learning to adapt is known as “mitigation and adaptation” in climate circles. Many officials and scientists say both are necessary.
“We have to do everything,” Robinson said. “It’s too late to say one thing is better than another.”
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