One example of climate injustice, the young paying for the in-action of the old. Royalty-free picture from Pexels.com
In this post
Part 1 of the 3 part series You Can Have Whatever You Want… The Media and the Madness
- The Science Bit – The Reasons Why
- What Does Net-Zero Carbon Emissions mean?
- Why is Net-Zero Emissions Important?
- When Does the World Need to Reach Net-Zero Emissions?
- Who is Going to Have the Real Political Courage to take Responsible Action?
- Tomorrows World
- The Media and the Madness
The Reasons Why
This post came about because as I research and write about a subject, I learn stuff or clarify in my mind what I think and feel. Additionally, I try to take the long view as I understand it. But, neither am I a tree hugger or an activist.
I am just someone trying to understand the way out of the climate hole we have dug for ourselves. When in a hole, the first thing to do is, stop digging. There is a very good possibility the sides of the (w)hole will collapse and bury you. The planet is in a process of change from a globalised economic growth model to sustainable wellness for the planet as a whole. After all, 2021 marks a new beginning and the last chance to save the planet and ourselves.
Initially, the problem is short-termism and profit now not a sufficient list of ways to fix the problem.
‘Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.’
Seneca – Roman Philosopher
This series of three posts is my reaction to Dr Mark Carney’s 2020 BBC Reith Lecture called “From Climate Crisis to Prosperity, How to Get What You Value”.
To hear Mark Carney’s Reith lecture series, search the BBC Sounds app.
The Science Bit
The development of approved COVID 19 Vaccines in just a year has been a miracle. Accordingly, the collaborative effort and ingenuity of the science community, for instance, has been staggering. Vaccination is a light at the end of the tunnel that is not a train coming in the opposite direction for a change. However, for all the answers they have found so far there are still many key questions that require further research. Such as, how long does the vaccine remain effective and is it as effective with emerging new strains?
In the race to Net-Zero Carbon by 2050, the situation is scientists across the world have overwhelming evidence. The climate crisis is real and deadly urgent. Therefore, there is not a need for further research as climate deniers suggest. This is the reason why; we know we have a gigantic and potentially fatal problem unless we rethink what we value above all else.
“There is no planet B”
Prof. Mike Berners Lee of Lancaster University.
Royalty-free picture from Pexels.com
What Does Net-Zero Carbon Emissions mean?
We will achieve Net-Zero emissions when any remaining human-caused Green House Gas (GHG) emissions are balanced out by removing GHG’s from the atmosphere. This is a process known as Carbon Removal. However, removing Carbon from the air through Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at scale is still in its infancy and is a major financial, research and technological challenge.
Why is Net-Zero Emissions Important?
The concept of Net-Zero emissions is akin to “climate neutrality.” That means putting in the same amount of GHG’s as we take out.
When Does the World Need to Reach Net-Zero Emissions?
It is predicted to be able to reach Net-Zero by 2050 we need to be at least halfway there in ten years. On the face of it, this seems a huge ask as we have not started to dent the biggest contributors with working solutions at scale.
“We have to believe it’s possible”
Sir David Attenborough
Who is going to have the Real Political Courage to take Responsible Climate Action?
Politically, socially and economically 2021 can be a turning point to a fairer world. In the UK issues such as the climate crisis, in-work poverty, social care, the NHS and affordable housing all require positive government intervention.
Tomorrows World
For the past year, the media has been fully fixated on grisly COVID 19 death statistics telling us every detail of the pandemic. But, the focus of the media needs to shift to the real global danger – the climate emergency. One of the reasons why the UK has left the European Union is because the British press negatively reported anything and everything to do with the EU. Whether it was right or wrong. As a consequence, this has had a cumulative negative effect over 40 plus years.
We and every country need a weekly primetime TV show dedicated to the race to Net-Zero Carbon. Maybe call it “The Net-Zero Carbon Show – Tomorrows World”. Consequently, the potential subject matter is endless. Countless British companies and organisations are working to help tackle the climate emergency. They would benefit from the recognition brought by television. It would also highlight the vast amount of effort going to resolve the problem already. Populations need to be prepared for major changes in their lives.
Who are the Biggest Polluting Industry Sectors?
Back in 2011, The Guardian reported the following industry sectors contribution to GHG’s. Deforestation 11.3%, Road Transport 10.5%, Fuel and power for residential buildings 10.2%, Other Industry 7.0%, Oil & Gas Production 6.4%, Fuel and power for Commercial buildings 10.2%. However, these six sectors may account for just over half of all global warming gases as there is variance in the estimates.
Royalty-free picture from Pexels.com
What are these industries doing to achieve Net-Zero Emissions by 2050? Why not send a TV film crew to find out? The top ten polluting industries account for about 70% of the total emissions.
How can we cross-pollinate our ideas and research with other countries to quicken a reduction of CO2 and Methane in the air? We as a global people got a vaccine so quickly partly because we cooperated with a common goal. The same thinking and urgency need to be applied to the climate emergency.
The Media and the Madness
We (I am anyway) bored to death not watching endless repeats of the Great British… TV show fill-in the gap as required. How many baking/cooking and house programmes do we need?
On UK TV, the climate crisis topic is only dealt with in a piecemeal manner at present with one-off programmes and the odd Sir David Attenborough series. Radio 4 does a great job of consistent coverage of the crisis.
Hear 39 Ways to Save the Planet presented by Tom Heap on BBC Sounds. Radio 4 daily at 13.45 after The World at One. This programme appears to be a celebration of human ingenuity to dig ourselves out of the climate crisis hole. The first episode explored rice production. A third of the global population’s staple food is wet rice grown in Paddy fields. The algae in wet paddy fields emit CO2. A female British scientist has developed a Rice plant that grows in dry soil saving labour, water and most of all CO2.
Royalty-free picture from Pexels.com
BBC News
Also, the BBC News website has a section for Science and Environment. Here is an archive of many climate-related programmes. Only by raising mass awareness and education will attitudes and values change. We need a positive cumulative media effect to keep the climate crisis at the forefront of every body’s mind.
The climate information is out there but it is crowded out mainly on to Wireless Podcasts (whatever they are, sounds like a radio show to me!). Check out the “What Planet Are We On? podcast. Until the climate crisis becomes the regular mainstream content on TV the debate will only reach a small proportion of those who need to hear it. The madness is why is a great and valuable show like 39 Ways to Save the Planet, and many others like it, not on TV?
Coming Up
Coming up in Part 2 of this series You Can Have Whatever You Want… is the way financial institutions are slowly changing to becoming a lot more climate aware and responsible with our savings. They are on the cusp of seeing growth opportunities in the green economy.
Royalty-free picture from Pexels.com
Hello Andy
Thank you for this article.
As a chartered civil engineer, and a human being, it is a matter close to my heart. I feel that part of the problem is the lack of understanding by world leaders and little demonstrable action, thinking that the problem will solve itself – consider the damage and lack of progress in the USA and China in the last four years. Profit seems to overall solutions that could be applied that would leave our children and grandchildren with a better and safer world in which to enjoy life.
At a more basic level I do not know why supermarkets continue to use plastic bottles for the sale of water, which is free and comes out of a tap! In any store there are hundreds of such bottles – why? profit? They are only purchased because they are there and it is convenient.
There is certainly enough film and photographic evidence that climate change does exist but until there is leadership with permanent solutions the likelihood is that we will continue to drift on until it is too late and the process is irreversible. Joe Biden has spoken about the important need for a Green future, let’s hope so.
Hi Stu, Thanks for getting in touch. You are quite right of course. I came across a very scary prediction today. The Paris Climate Agreement in 2016 forecast there is just an 8% probability of reaching warming of 1.5 degrees or lower by the end of the century. The current hopeful bet is about 2.8 – 3.0 degrees or worse.
Now that China and the US have signed up to the Paris Accord, between them they produce 55% of all CO2, let’s hope for meaningful progress.
Thank you so much for this post, Mr. Beel. I am 70 and have all sorts of Boomer guilt about my generation’s contribution to the Climate Emergency.
Hi, Sylvia thanks for getting in touch and the appreciation.
Hi Andy,
The climate changes all the time, it is controlled by that great big yellow ball in the sky, the sun, it goes in 11 year cycles nothing we do, can change this. There is no climate emergency, all climate predictions of doom for the decades have been wrong we were told by numerous people in the past that including Al Gore, that the artic ice would be gone by 2014, well it’s still there, Most of the artic ice is floating so if it did melt, which has done in the past, and come back again, it would have no effect on the sea levels as the ice displaces the sea. Think of an ice cube in a glass of water!
Man made CO2 has never been proven to have any effect on climate change, EVER. CO2 is food for plants the earth has never been greener. Look up what Freeman Dyson has to say on the subject A very clever man!
https://e360.yale.edu/features/freeman_dyson_takes_on_the_climate_establishment
Most of the predictions are computer models, if you put rubbish in you get rubbish out. 97% of CO2 is natural.
also look up Tony Heller
Richard Storier
PS I do enjoy your blogs on photography!
Hi Richard, thank you for your comment, we will agree to disagree.