Climate change and the younger generation
Edward Doepel
In this essay, I will argue that the current cohort of global leaders cannot drive the required level of change needed to avert the climate crisis, and that it will require a combination of bold, brave leadership from a new generation of global leaders, as well as a fundamental behavioural change at an individual level, to alter the direction of our planet. Since the 1800s, human activity has been the main driver of climate change, due to the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas to power the industrial revolution. When these fossil fuels are burnt, they release greenhouse gases. These gases trap the s un’s heat and cause the planet’s temperature to rise. By the early 2030s, we could reach a point of no return, where our actions will have lasting consequences on our planet. To counteract the possible consequences, we must keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius. 1.5 degrees is known as the ‘ tipping point ’ after which many climate impacts go from destructive to catastrophic. The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has a list of the consequences of exceeding 1.5 degrees: globally, sea levels could rise by 10cm; there could be 19 more days with extreme heatwaves each year increasing the potential risk for forest fires; and coral reefs could become extinct. The bottom line is that going above a 1.5 degree increase in average global temperature puts millions more people at risk of poverty and life-threatening extreme weather events. By far the biggest driver of climate change is the energy sector, with 74.4% of total greenhouse gas emissions globally resulting from energy production and consumption. 1 How we produce and use energy also has impacts on air and water quality which affect our health. Energy technologies are changing rapidly, with innovations such as floating offshore wind farms and large-scale battery storages. In the UK, 16.3% of total electricity generation now comes from wind turbines and solar plants. 2 But all industries need to adapt and one in particular is lagging behind. The IPCC’s special report on climate change and land estimates that agriculture was responsible for 8.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide in 2019. In addition, burning land for agriculture both increases CO2 emissions and removes trees that absorb CO2. With the ever-growing global population, we have to ask ourselves, can our world cope with our ever-growing consumption? At this current rate, we are following the Malthusian theory: there comes a point where population reaches a limit of food supply. The United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) on Climate Change is the global gathering for world leaders to agree actions to limit climate change. The most recent COP was COP26 in Glasgow where 197 countries were brought together to try and tackle the climate crisis. Some of the key takeaways from the Glasgow meeting were the halting of deforestation by 2030, a reduction in global methane levels by at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030 and the global ‘phase - down’ of coal power. Despite achieving some of the pre-determined goals, Alok Sharma, the president of COP26, felt more could have been
1 Greenhouse gas emissions - Our World in Data. 2 Energy Trends June 2022 (publishing.service.gov.uk) , see page 14.
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