Sometimes it's useful to take a step back and look at the bigger picture in order to fully appreciate the scale of what it means to get to net zero CO2 emissions. We are constantly being told that we must all do our bit towards this great goal in order to save the planet. To find all the big statistics on this, one place to look is <a href=Global Energy Review: CO2 Emissions in 2021 – Analysis - IEA>here</a> on the International Energy Agency (IEA) website. This organisation is, of course, committed to phasing out fossil fuels, even though it was founded to ensure security of oil supplies to member nations in times of crisis.
Here is an interesting statistic for 2020:
306.32 Mt of CO2 was produced by the UK for energy. The whole world produced 40 Gt of CO2. So using those figures we can calculate the % of world energy related emissions from the UK. (Energy includes that used for electricity, heating, transport, industry.)
306.32x10^6x100 divided by 40x 10^9 = 0.77%
So we can see that our emissions have fallen well below the 1% of world emissions which is often quoted. However 306.32 Mt is still a very large amount, when you consider that all the simple ways of reducing it have already been implemented.
An example of a scheme to reduce emissions is the new waste strategy being proposed by the New Forest District Council. The proposed changes are calculated to save 1037 tonnes of CO2 per annum, which to many people would sound impressive. But, set against the UK annual emissions, it can be calculated as:
1037x100 divided by 306320000%, which is 0.0003%
This puts the true scale of the reductions required to reach zero. Of course net zero means that some emissions will still be allowed, but these figures do not even include emissions due to agriculture
Every 15,000 miles my wife's car emits 10,000 lbs of co2 while my used Tesla Model S in utilitiy terms emits 3,000 lbs of co2 in the same 15,000 lbs.
ReplyDeleteAt 100,000 miles, my wife's car emits 66,000 lbs of co2. Just the cars in the world alone, there is a really significant amount of co2 added to the atmosphere.
Gasoline cannot ever really burn much cleaner, while the utilities can litterally go to zero co2. Gasoline cars are really a dead end for transportation.
Gevernment support ramping up for the change needed in the world will make a difference. Climate change from our emissions only gets worse with time as we continue to use fossil fuels for our energy.
while my used Tesla Model S in utilitiy terms emits 3,000 lbs of co2 in the same 15,000 (lbs). Meant to put in miles
ReplyDeleteSo, your wife's car emits 66,000 lb of CO2 in 100,000 miles of motoring= 66,000/2.2 Kg = 30,000Kg = 30 tonnes
ReplyDeleteIf she had used your car she would have emitted 20% of that, which is 6 tonnes. A saving of 24 tonnes, which is actually a very small amount when compared with the increase in world emissions for 2021 which is 2.1 Gt - a number so big that most people cannot really comprehend it. Here it is written out in full: 2100,000,000 tonnes.
And don't forget that your electric car requires a lot of energy to be built and it's battery will need replacing after a certain number of miles. Net zero is an illusion, a pipe dream that will not be achieved by 2050.
By 2050 is anyone's guess at this point. But it is a goal to shoot for. Fossil fuels with co2 emissions from burning are the issue. Science has shown this in all avenues of evidence.
DeleteThe pipe dream is that fossil fuels cause no harm.
My batteries are still good after 300,000 miles. Just not in a car. They last for years. There is a program called 2nd life in which the batteries are used for other purposes. There are also industries that are now recycling batteries. The goal is to need less mining when the whole car system is off of fossil fuels.
As you say 2050 is anyone's guess.
DeleteIPPC has several scenarios with very solid action of how co2 works in the atmosphere. They can't predict our pollution rate. It hasn't happened yet. But the scenarios are very clear about what will happen at a given pollution rate.
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