By George P. Nassos
In 1988, James Hansen, then head of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, testified before Congress that the atmosphere is warming up faster than expected. He indicated that if the carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration exceeds 350 parts per million (ppm), we will be in trouble. It is currently at 427 ppm, an increase of 3 ppm over last year, and will continue to rise unless we do something about it.
Over the past month, we have experienced two of the most devastating hurricanes in many years. We have had hurricanes in the past, but Helene and Milton were only two weeks apart. Past hurricanes were not as frequent and not as devastating. The increase in frequency of the hurricanes is due to the increase in atmospheric temperature caused by the increase in CO2 emissions. The warming of the sea water increases the humidity of the atmosphere above it which is the reason for the increase in the hurricane intensity. I hope I am wrong, but I don’t see how this situation is going to improve soon. A brand-new report by renowned scientists published in BioScience states that “we are on the brink of an irreversible climate disaster” and that we are now “stepping into a critical and unpredictable new phase of the climate crisis.”
Earlier this month Reuters published a report that BP has scrapped its 2030 emissions target and is exploring new investments in the Middle East and the Gulf of Mexico to increase its gas and oil output. At about the same time, Politico published a Chevron-sponsored article promoting its new deepwater drilling project which has given Chevron access to oil deposits at record depths. As the economy grows, there is no question that we need more fuel. However, we must take action now by introducing cleaner fuels. An example is the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) being produced by LanzaJet. It would be great if a similar fuel could be produced for the auto industry. The reason that time is so important is that CO2 emissions have a lifespan of about 70 years. Our carbon capture projects cannot keep up with the increase in carbon emissions.
When it was determined that coal-fired power plants were one of the largest emitters of CO2, an effort was made to replace as much of the coal as possible by natural gas. However, the supply of natural gas could not meet the demand, which meant we needed more gas and fracking (hydraulic fracturing) became a necessity. While fracking greatly increased the availability of natural gas, it had a major negative impact on the environment besides the subsequent CO2 emissions. The gas fracking process requires a large quantity of water to crack, or frack, the bedrock to allow for the collection of more gas and oil that is otherwise trapped. Water is already a global resource that is increasing in demand as freshwater, once consumed for fracking, it cannot be available for other uses because of its contamination. The oil and gas companies try to reuse it for additional fracking. There is no question we have plenty of work to do.
The real question is whether the big global emitters, China, United States, India, Germany, Russia et al, are going to take this crisis seriously and really do something about it. Based on the Climate Change Performance Index, developed by Germanwatch, a non-profit, non-governmental, environmental organization located in Bonn, German, some of the big emitters are doing their share. Of the 64 countries evaluated for their efforts in reducing emissions, India is ranked number 4 and Germany is ranked number 11. However, China, United States and Russia are ranked 48, 54, and 60, respectively. It is unfortunate that these countries are not doing their share to help solve this crucial environmental issue. And who is to blame other than the respective governments and their environmental policies. Many companies have adopted ESG in their operations and are helping the cause, but too many companies are still focusing on the bottom line for the benefit of their shareholders.
So what is the real answer to this problem? I wish I had the answer to solve the problem. One thing we can all do is convince our legislators that perpetuating investments in fossil fuel-oriented approaches to gas plant pollution will just perpetuate the problem. They should focus on ramping up renewables to drive down the use of gas and oil, thus delivering true solutions. After the forthcoming elections, we should all contact our legislators and let them know of our concern. When newly elected legislators develop their list of action items, at the top of the list is to do what is necessary to get reelected. Taking action to reduce carbon emissions should be at the top of their list.