Can a zero-carbon future be achieved?
hace 10 year
Achieving zero carbon emissions by 2100 is the goal of millions of people around the world. To achieve this, countries must focus on sustainable development and reorganize the world economy. This is stated in the World Bank's report “Zero-carbon development: three steps towards a zero-emission future”The report points to the need to plan for the long term, to correct prices as part of a comprehensive set of global policies and, finally, to support those hardest hit by global warming. And in this, business has a very important role to play.
To achieve the three points it is necessary to establish fundamental changes in the life of the human being. Changes that, according to Daniel Buira Clark, of the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change in Mexico are possible, albeit difficult.
“What the World Bank is proposing are necessary changes and the proposal is to make them more manageable, with a focus on finding opportunities beyond costs. Making change less difficult requires that we take public policy initiatives now in terms of energy, infrastructure investment, pricing, taxation, carbon tariffs and a range of other measures. The main message is that the sooner we start the changes the less expensive the transition will be.”, says Buira Clark.
The basis for change
The World Bank report details that it is necessary to plan for the long term, and to do so, policies and investments should not only focus on immediate benefits. They should also focus on developing the low-carbon technologies and infrastructure needed to achieve zero emissions. The report is very clear and indicates that if nothing is done before 2030, costs would rise by 50%, so the delay will increase the severity of the low emissions needed.
Beatriz Zavariz, of the Mexican Civil Council for Sustainable Forestry,The company argues that planning must be accompanied by institutional changes that generate new tools, resources and institutional structures, and in turn provide the respective follow-up.
“To meet such long term goals (2050 or beyond), it is necessary to establish mechanisms that facilitate the transition between government administrations; so that the prioritization of the carbonization of the economy is continuous until the end of the term. One option may be the creation of decentralized agencies with functionality independent of government administrations that can provide continuity of strategies and plans over long time scales.”, says Zavariz.
As a second point, the study proposes correcting carbon pricing, given that some 40 countries have fixed carbon values or plan to do so, but taxes are not easy to implement and are difficult to evade when compared to others. Therefore, there is a need to develop complementary policies, including opting for energy efficiency, requiring electricity suppliers to obtain a certain percentage of the energy they supply from renewable sources, which provide incentives for low-carbon options. It is known, for example, that so far 114 countries in the world have already defined renewable energy targets.
Alejandra Lopez Carbajal, Director of Environmental Affairs of the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change in Mexico, explains that more than one country has worked and is currently working on the implementation of economic instruments related to carbon pricing.
“This issue in particular requires further work and an agreement from the entire international community, if possible from the United Nations, to give clear signals on how investments should be redirected and to encourage the required emissions transition.”, says López Carbajal.
Finally, the report points out the need to ease the transition and protect poor households against the effects of price increases. Businesses can help to act in a cleaner world, if they act efficiently, 60% of the population with lower incomes would benefit from a reform towards more sustainable economies.
Changes in the livestock sector
Jacobo Arango, molecular biologist and researcher at LivestockPlus, which belongs to the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security Research Program, In order to achieve zero emissions in sectors such as livestock, researchers and all stakeholders must combine efforts to reduce emissions to 30% less than those currently recorded. “Once this reduction is obtained, compensation mechanisms are required to take GHG balance of zero net emissions,” says the specialist.
For the livestock sector, several strategies have been postulated to reduce emissions, including land use change (without deforestation), use of improved pastures, manure management, responsible use of fertilizers and conservation tillage. Arango adds that if after these types of interventions, emissions are still higher than the reductions, there are other mechanisms available such as carbon credits in order to reach the desired net zero emissions.
“In the LivestockPlus project, we are trying to quantify livestock emissions in Colombia and Costa Rica for the construction of a baseline. After that, mitigation actions will be identified, implemented and quantified for the construction of the livestock sector NAMA with a strong emphasis on improved pastures.”, says Arango.
You can download the World Bank report here.
Source: COP connection
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