I managed to learn three important things that I needed to gain more knowledge about. Each of those three key areas offers deep insights into the complex and vital topic of achieving carbon neutrality. The key areas include Scientific Evidence of Climate Change, theEnvironmental Impact of Carbon Emissions, and Strategies and Technologies for Carbon Reduction.
Scientific Evidence of Climate Change
From this part of Professor Wach’s presentation, I learned about Scientific Evidence of Climate Change and, more so, the compelling scientific evidence linking rising CO2 levels to global warming. The data presented an obvious pattern of increasing CO2 and other greenhouse gas concentrations that appeared to be a cause of the increasing global temperatures (Masson-Delmotte et al., 2021). This evidence is not only based on recent observations but has also been founded on past climate patterns and projections documenting their future perspectives. Learning about this made me understand that climate change is not just a speculative future concern but an existing and rapidly worsening dilemma. Well, the scientific community consensus on this issue is indelible and undeniable, and this means there is a need for a decision to be urgently taken to minimize or completely eradicate it.
Environmental Impact of Carbon Emissions
Scientific Evidence of Climate Change resulted in another critical point of learning, which is the environmental impact of carbon emissions. The showcased case studies revealed how climate change impacts are manifested through the increased occurrence and strength of some severe weather conditions, including hurricanes, floods, and droughts (Töbelmann & Wendler, 2020). The threat from rising sea levels, mainly to coastal areas due to the melting of ice caps and expansion of seawater, is significant. Also, the diminution of biodiversity, such as species becoming extinct and the ruin of ecosystems, pathetically called out how irreparably the earth was being harmed. The image of facts brought to life in this section made it clear that climate change was not solely an environmental issue but a dying situation eroding the very web of existence on our planet.
Strategies and Technologies for Carbon Reduction
In Professor Wach’s presentation about carbon neutrality, I also learned about the strategies and technologies for element reduction used to achieve such carbon neutrality. He made an important transition from non-renewable fossil fuels to renewables such as solar power, wind energy, and hydroelectricity. The professor brought attention to recent advancements that overcome the limitations of large-scale deployment and integrating clean technologies with established grids. This provided me with an understanding of the importance and difficulties of introduction to renewable energy sources. In addition, the discussion on increasing energy efficiency for buildings, transport systems, and the industrial sector was explained concerning energy-efficient design, smart grid, and electric vehicle phenomenon in more effective detail, allowing us to gain practical ideas on what type of actions we can afford to cut down our energy consumption.
Interestingly enough, the chapter on CCS has also stolen my attention since capturing waste carbon and storing it underground is capable of considerably lowering CO2 levels in the air (Sun et al.,2020). This portion of the presentation evaluated the viability and international profile of CCS projects, which I appreciated since it reflected on the subtlety and limit of this advance to mitigate environmental fluctuation. After this part of Professor Wach’s presentation, I concluded on the importance of new technologies and approaches for a carbonless future design that involves multiple entities at both aggregate and individual levels.
References
Masson-Delmotte, V., Zhai, P., Pirani, A., Connors, S. L., Péan, C., Berger, S., … & Zhou, B. (2021). Climate change 2021: the physical science basis. Contribution of working group I to the sixth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change, 2. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_FrontMatter.pdf
Töbelmann, D., & Wendler, T. (2020). The impact of environmental innovation on carbon dioxide emissions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 244, 118787.
Sun, L., Cao, X., Alharthi, M., Zhang, J., Taghizadeh-Hesary, F., & Mohsin, M. (2020). Carbon emission transfer strategies in the supply chain with a lag time of emission reduction technologies and low-carbon preference of consumers. Journal of Cleaner Production, 264, 121664.
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