Carbon Emissions - Report Example

Current Political and Technological Drivers Associated with Mitigating CO2 emissions in the UK" Student’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Introduction Carbon dioxide as it was called by then was identified and described in the 1750s by a Scottish chemist and physician, Joseph Black (Lenntech 2009). Carbon (iv) oxide as it is currently referred to is a molecule with the formula CO2; consisting of a carbon atom that is bound to two oxygen atoms by double bonds. Apart from playing that important role of photosynthesis in plants it is also a weighty component in the adjusting of the globe’s temperatures in what is commonly referred to as the greenhouse effect. Co2 is one of the greenhouse gases, hence plays a vital function as far as warming of the planet is concerned (Halmann and Steinberg 1999). The sources of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere include; energy supply which accounts for most of the CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. This comes as a result of burning of coal and other fossil fuels for the generation of electricity at power plants (EPA 2013: Aresta 2003). The use of fossil fuels to propel machines in industries also emits carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The transport industry also contributes carbon dioxide to the environment where we have fossil fuel being burned to enhance road, rail, marine and air transportation. 95 % of the world’s transportation relies on petroleum based fuels, which release a lot of carbon dioxide to the environment when they burn. Land use and agriculture also contribute to carbon dioxide emissions are as a result of land clearing for agriculture, deforestation and fires or decay of peat soils and emissions. Other sources include emissions from cement, manufacturing industries and from commercial and residential buildings as a result of heating and burning in cooking (EPA 2013). These emissions destabilise the ozone layer which results in the global warming or commonly referred to as climate change (NAS 2015). The increased emissions lead to increased warming of the earth. This essay will discuss the various treaties and protocols that have been assented to in attempts to reduce carbon (IV) dioxide emissions and the impacts associated with the emissions. It will also narrow down to the policies and techniques used by the European countries to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions and more specifically the UK and its agreement with the European Union to reduce CO2 emissions. The energy and environmental techniques on the same will also be looked at. Global protocols in reducing carbon dioxide emissions The global action against climate change and carbon emissions control has been in the form of treaties and protocols by nations with the aim of mitigating the effects of climate change. Some of these include the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC), Kyoto Protocol, the Copenhagen Accord and the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (CFR 2013). But before these most recent treaties on climate change, there were agreements worth mentioning here because of their contributions in minimising emissions detrimental to the atmosphere including carbon dioxide. They include the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer that set out to its parties that they should wipe out chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). This was to be achieved by the year 1996. There was also the 1979 Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution and its associative protocols whose intentions were to regulate the emission of noxious gases (ENTRI 2012). In 1992, leaders and stakeholders in the environment spectrum from 176 countries gathered in Rio de Janeiro Brazil to forge ways of working together in preserving and conserving the global environment. These negotiations which began in 1991 in trying to develop the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) culminated in the signing of the Convention into operation at the “Earth Summit” in Brazil and became operational in 1994 due to the ratification of the same by 50 countries. The main goal of the agreement being stabilising the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to magnitudes that won’t interfere with the human existence (ENTRI 2012). In 1997 came the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty which is associated with the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change whose main objective was setting up emission reduction targets that are internationally binding to its Parties. The agreement was enacted in Kyoto, Japan in 1997 but became operational in year 2005. It required parties to this protocol to minimise the issuance into the air of greenhouse gases by a specified rate over a given period of time (UNFCCC 2014). This protocol under its principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” which places a lot of burden on developing countries has seen the protocol lose support in terms of Canada withdrawing citing the varying levels of reduction for different countries and worse still placing a heavy burden on developing countries and heavy emitters shying off from ratifying the protocol (CFR 2013). There was also an agreement that was reached in Copenhagen concerning conserving the environment and minimising of carbon emissions was quoted as one most important way of alleviating the looming danger of climate change in which it was agreed that the Kyoto Protocol whose timeline was to come to an end in 2012 should be continued. It was also agreed that huge cuts in worldwide emissions were necessary because it is an indispensable strategy to sustainable development. The Copenhagen accord also committed the developed countries, that is, the Annex 1 Parties to strengthen their existing reduction targets and commit to economy-wide reduction emission targets for 2020. It also recommended that developing countries to implement mitigation actions (IEA 2010). There was also the Durban platform which is a treaty legally binding to Parties on global warming. The agreement which was referred to as the Durban Platform came about during the seventeenth Conference of Parties (COP-17) held in Durban South Africa in December in 2011 which approved the extension of the Kyoto Protocol and recommended the coming up of a successor treaty for the Kyoto 1 by 2015 which should be implemented by 2020. It also recommended that irrespective of the level of development of countries the reduction of gas emissions were a target of all countries (CFR 2013). Carbon dioxide emission impacts Carbon (IV) oxide is the major greenhouse gas that traps heat within the atmosphere (World Bank 2011). The earth consists of the atmosphere which acts as a blanket, trapping heating from solar radiation and distributing it on the earth’s surface otherwise known as warming the earth. This maintains the temperature of the earth at 15°C. This temperature would otherwise be at -19°C were it not for the presence of the atmosphere. This warming is what is commonly referred to as the greenhouse effect and its important because it makes life on earth viable. This warming of the earth is made possible by the existence of small amounts of gases, greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide and water vapour, which traps the reflected solar radiation from the earth, redistributes the heat onto the earth’s surface. These gases are referred to as greenhouse gases (Halmann and Steinberg 1999). The concentration of carbon (IV) oxide in the air needs to be maintained at a constant 0.03%. The natural equilibrium of the carbon dioxide effect is being disturbed by increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere, this has increased the earth temperatures otherwise what is known as global warming. This increased temperature also increases water vapour in the atmosphere which is also a greenhouse gas; this increases the global warming even further (Halmann and Steinberg 1999). The increase in global temperatures does not fully express the impacts of increased carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere in totality. Instead the term climate change is preferred by scientists since it conveys that other changes are also taking place. This climate change will in some parts bring some positive effects, including longer growing seasons and milder winters. On the contrary, it brings harmful effects to a much higher percentage of the global population. Most of the world’s population are poor and lack resources to respond to such changes. For instance, if the sea level rises by 1metre Bangladesh would lose 17.5% of its land, displacing millions of people (National Academies 2015). Although between 1880 and 1940 the earth’s temperature rose by 0.25%, it was not until the 1950s that the measurements were taken seriously and atmospheric CO2 was suspected as the possible cause (Halmann and Steinberg 1999). The level of CO2 in the atmosphere has gone up by 30% since the industrial revolution. The world average surface temperature has gone up by nearly 0.6°C since 1861 and the years ranging from 1990 to 2000 was the hottest years on record. Increased temperatures and increased number of hot days have been recorded in in nearly all regions and this trend of warming of the earth’s surface is projected to continue with increases in the range of 1.4 to 5.8°Cover the next 100 years (World Bank 2011). Global warming shrinks glaciers, alters the frequency and intensity of rainfall thus altering growing seasons. It also enhances flowering of trees, enhances insects to thrive and leads to rising of the sea level. These effects have had already observable changes on the environment; glaciers have shrunk, ice on lakes and rivers have broken up resulting in rise in sea levels, plant and animal ranges have shifted and flowering of trees is observed sooner than expected and more and heat waves are being felt (NASA 2015). Policy and techniques used by European states to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions About 10% of the global greenhouse emissions by 2012 came from the European Union bound states. European Union member states are on the right track in reducing greenhouse gas emissions under both the Kyoto protocol within the second commitment period ranging between 2013-2020 and its own internal target within the European 2020 strategy. Under the European 2020 Strategy, the union made a commitment overall greenhouse gas emission by 20% starting 2020. This is binding to the 28 states of the European Union. This agreement will be adopted at Paris climate conference to be held in December in 2015 (EC 2015a). The European Union has also within its ranks the 2030 framework for climate and energy policies. The framework centres on the a legally holding goal to reduce the European Union greenhouse gas emissions at minimum by 40% below the 1990 level by 2030 (EC 2015b). The European Union has also established the path to be followed in realising a low-carbon European economy whose main objective is minimising greenhouse gas emissions by Europe by 80-95% using the emissions of 1990 as the point of reference. This is a strategy for 2050. The EU has put in place the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) which is its main apparatus in keeping to the minimum greenhouse gas emissions by industries which works on cap and trade principle. In this principle a ‘cap’ or ‘limit’ is set on the maximum aggregate of certain greenhouse gases that factories, power plants and other installations can emit. By 2020 this regulation hopes to reduce emissions from departments within the EU ETS brackets to 21% lower compared to total emissions in 2005 and come 2030 it will be lower by 43% compared to the emissions of 2005. The EU has also taken initiatives in legislating laws directing member states to push up the use of infinite sources of energy such as wind, solar and biomass by 20% come the year 2020. The EU has also set targets to member states to increase energy efficiency to 20% by 2020. This is like putting off 400 power stations if it is achieved and hence will reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted including carbon dioxide. It has also come up with regulations with legally holding goals to minimise emissions of carbon dioxide from recently purchased automobiles. The EU has also supported the development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) which are strategies and methods devised to capture carbon emitted from large point sources, compresses the carbon and transports it for storage which is in line with the EU 2030 framework on climate. The European Climate Change Programme which was instituted in the year 2000 is charged with coming up with mechanisms to ensure that the Kyoto Protocol is implemented to the latter (EC 2015c) Role played by UK in minimising carbon dioxide emissions The government of UK in 2008 passed the Climate Change Act, which is a legally binding agreement between the government and stakeholders from greenhouse gases emission source points to reduce the country’s man-made carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emissions by at least 80% by 2050 in comparison to a 1990 baseline. The act targets an interim reduction of 34% by 2020. But by the year 2010 in its commitment to reduce these emissions the government of the UK adjusted the interim upwards to 37% (Jowitt et al. 2012). The UK government also funds the Carbon Trust, which is an independent company which was established in 2001 whose main responsibility was helping the UK made strides in the direction of becoming a low carbon economy by aiding the community and businesses to spare energy, keep to the minimum carbon (IV) oxide released and utilise the low carbon strategies in their undertakings by providing information on carbon management and energy saving strategies (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2006). In 2003 the UK government drewout a long-term framework for the energy sector in the 2003 White Paper titled “Our Energy Future-Creating a Low Carbon Economy” which in the energy policy aims to minimise carbon (IV) oxide emissions by some 60% come 2050. This is to be achieved by strengthening the input of energy efficiency and energy sources that are renewable and by implementing the EU emissions trading scheme. The low carbon buildings programme is also an incentive of the UK government and this is in line with reducing carbon dioxide emitted to the environment. There was also the setting up of climate change agreements (CCAs), for instance this agreement provide a 80% discount on the climate change levy imposed on companies. Those companies that qualify for this discount are those that are willing to incorporate difficult ultimatums in making better energy efficiency or those engaged in using technologies geared towards reducing greenhouse gases emissions (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2006). The government has also come up with what is referred to as the carbon budgets that are legally binding. A carbon budget places a ceiling on the aggregate of greenhouse gases the UK can release within a period of five years. In its commitment to reducing carbon dioxide emissions the UK became the first country to establish legally holding carbon budgets. It falls that if emissions goes up in one zone, the UK will compensate for this rise by initiating a fall of emissions in another sector (Department of Energy and Climate Change 2014). The UK government in collaboration with the construction industry in 2008 came together in coming up with a strategy aimed at reducing carbon emissions from construction process by 15% by 2012 (Strategic Forum 2010). Agreements between the UK and the European Union to reduce CO2 ­emissions The European Union works together with the UK in the implementation of the Kyoto protocol so as to minimise greenhouse gases emissions by 80 % by 2050 using the 1990 levels as the baseline. On the 29th day of April 1998 the EU made an important declaration that the European Union and its members will ensure that their individual commitments of the protocol sees the light of day. And in the adjustments of their initial commitments UK was the only country among the main emitters of the European Union to commit to a stronger higher target of reduction than one held before (Oberthur and Ott 1999). This indicates the UK’s willingness to work with the European Union in implementing the Kyoto Protocol. The European Union and the UK government have vowed to work together to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide originating from the transport industry. In realising the contribution the transport industry in emitting carbon dioxide into the environment it put up strategies to mitigate this some including legislation on Ultra-low emission vehicles. These legislations by the UK government in line with this aspect include the renewable transport fuel obligations (amendment) order of 2009, the renewable transport fuel obligations order of 2007, biodiesel duty regulations, the energy act of 2004 part 2 chapter 5 and others. In line with these legislations the European Union has also its own legislations which look for the same results that is to reduce emissions emanating from the transportation business and they include the renewable energy directive, the fuel quality directive and the regulation 510/2011 of the European Parliament and of the council of 11 May 2011 giving out emissions that are permissible for new light commercial vehicles making up the Union’s integrated strategy to reduce carbon (IV) oxide emissions from light automobiles (EC 2015b; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2006). The European Union emissions trading system (EU ETS) has also been adopted by the UK government and renamed as the United Kingdom emission trading system (UK ETS) both of which are aimed at reducing the amount of emissions of greenhouse gases to the environment ( EC 2015b; Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2006). The European Union also include the decided to include the aviation and shipping emissions in EU Emissions Trading System in attempts to mitigate emissions coming from these same industries, the UK government in agreement with this noble initiative by the European union decided also to include the aviation and shipping emissions in its own framework in its own attempts to reduce and regulate emissions from the two sectors. This was adopted in line with the recommendations contained in the report; UK carbon budgets and the 2050 target: international aviation and shipping emissions. The UK decided to include its domestic aviation and shipping emissions in its Carbon Budgets framework (Department of Energy and Climate Change 2014). The Pollution Prevention and Control, a department within the ranks of the UK government is charged with the responsibility of implementing the European Union’s initiatives under the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) directive (Makuch and Pereira 2012). This is the EU and the UK in agreement to implement strategies aimed at mitigating carbon dioxide emissions into the environment. The Energy and environmental techniques in reduction of carbon dioxide Emissions The European Union put in place the Renewable Energy directive whose main aim is to control the European Energy consumption and to increase the dependency on renewable sources of energy through energy savings and increased energy efficiency towards achieving reductions in carbon dioxide emissions as envisaged in the Kyoto protocol. In achieving this, the directive recommends increased technological improvements, use of efficiency technologies, advocating for the utilisation of and expansion of general transport as opposed to private transport through incentives and the usage of renewable sources of energy in transport (Department of Energy and Climate Change 2014). The EU also has in place the 2020 climate and energy package which aims to push up the proportion of European Union’s energy consumption derived from infinite sources of energy by 20% by 2020 and also improve the European Union’s energy efficiency by the same magnitude by 2020. This will go a long way in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the European Union by 20% (EC 2015b). The 2012 energy efficiency directive brings out legally binding measures aimed at attaining the 20% energy efficiency target by 2020 and it requires all EU member states to utilise energy in as much as efficient at all levels in the energy chain stretching from its production and to its consumption stage (EC 2015b). The EU also sets out qualities and properties that the diesel and petrol used in road transport and other forms of transport have to meet. This is in line in reducing emissions that degrade the environment and subject the population to health hazards. Also in the Environmental perspective the EU and specifically the UK have created a framework that is legally binding for the technologies that environmentally friendly used in carbon capture and storage technologies. In this, technologies are put in place to capture carbon dioxide emitted from industries and storing it in underground geological formations where it does cause pollution and eventual global warming effects (EC 2015b). The UK has also in place a strategy in deriving energy from waste and also the White Paper- ‘Our Energy Future’ describes ways of making the UK a low carbon economy through the energy sector. Electricity production in UK is gradually moving from using carbon based fuels; coal and oil to non-carbon emission fuels; gas, nuclear and renewables (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2006). Conclusion In conclusion, the European Union and its member states and in particular the UK have shown commitments in implementing the Kyoto Protocol by coming up with strategies in reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the environment in the attempts to mitigate the effects of global warming which include increased sea levels, shrinking of glaciers, flowering of plants too soon and increased earth temperatures. In regulating and reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the environment regulations have been identified in the energy sector, transport, land use, construction among many more. In the light of that climate change presents far reaching and incapable of being repealed consequences to the communities and the world in general and hence requires an urgent and quick response by all parties and in accepting the fact that the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible cooperation by all countries in the effective and appropriate response to decreasing the global greenhouse gas emissions. This has culminated in the world coming together through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto, Durban and Copenhagen forums from which strategies to curb greenhouse gas emissions have emanated. References Aresta, M 2003, Carbon Dioxide Recovery and Utilization, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Netherlands. Brittanic 2014, Carbon dioxide: Chemical compound, viewed 8 April 2015, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/94900/carbon-dioxide CFR 2013, The global climate change regime, viewed 8 April 2015, http://www.cfr.org/climate- change/global-climate-change-regime/p21831 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2006, Climate change: The UK programme 2006, Crown Publishers, Norwich. Department of Energy and Climate Change 2014, Greenhouse gas emissions: Carbon budgets, viewed 8 April 2015, https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-the-uk-s- greenhouse-gas-emissions-by-80-by-2050/supporting-pages/carbon-budgets EC 2015a, EU greenhouse gas emissions and targets, viewed 8 April 2015, http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/g-gas/index_en.htm EC 2015b, 2030 framework for climate and energy, viewed 8 April 2015, http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/2030/index_en.htm EC 2015c, EU action on climate, viewed 8 April 2015, http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/brief/eu/ ENTRI 2012, Climate change: Treaties, Indicators and National Responses, viewed 8 April 2015, http://sedac.ciesin.org/entri/guides/sec3-climate.html EPA 2013, Global greenhouse emissions data, viewed 8 April 2015, http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/global.html Hall, D O and Rao, K K 1999, Photosynthesis, sixth edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Halmann, M M and Steinberg, M 1999, Greenhouse gas: carbon dioxide mitigation: Science and technology, CRC Press, Florida. IEA 2010, World energy outlook 2010, viewed 8 April 2015, www.worldenergyoutlook.org Jowitt, P et al. 2012, A protocol for carbon emissions accounting in infrastructure decisions, Civil Engineering, vol. 165, no. 2, pp. 89-95. Lennetech 2009, Carbon dioxide, viewed 8 April 2015, http://www.lenntech.com/carbon- dioxide.htm Makuch, K E and Pereira, R 2012, Environmental and Law, Blackwell, West Sussex NASA 2015, The current and future consequences of global change, viewed 8 April 2015, http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ Nas 2015, The cost Energy, viewed 8 April 2015, http://needtoknow.nas.edu/energy/energy- costs/environmental/ Oberthur, S and Ott, H E 1999, The Kyoto Protocol: International climate policy for the 21st century, Springer Verlag, Berlin. Strategic forum 2010, Carbon: Reducing the footprint of the construction process, viewed 8 April 2015, http://www.strategicforum.org.uk/pdf/06carbonreducingfootprint.pdf UNFCCC 2014, Kyoto Protocol, viewed 8 April 2015, http://unfccc.int/kyoto_protocol/items/2830.php World Bank 2011, Atlas of global development, third edition, Harper Collins Publishers, Glasgow. Read More