The carbon budget can also be defined as the tolerable quantity of greenhouse gas emissions that can be emitted in total over a specified period. The budget needs to be in line with what is scientifically required to keep global warming decreasing and thus change tolerable. Taking the idea of using carbon budget to reach this target of 1.5 degrees of warming, policymakers can design policies to reduce the corresponding amount. We are already around 0.9 Degree Celsius for the present decade.
Achieving the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius is most challenging but yet achievable. To reach this target also, improvement in energy efficiency is required. Keeping the climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius will leave pressure on food supply systems but challenging will remain from warming already but in it. Being able to reach this target will virtually eliminate air pollution, morbidity, and mortality global warming. Employment will also increase.
A widely used metric for climate mitigation is how much carbon we can still burn and remain below. A pre-industrial baseline that truly has no human-caused warming would change the amount of carbon that could be put into the atmosphere. Fossil fuel use needs to be significantly reduced and approach more on both technological and behavioral changes. The combination of the two will be much effective. Also, there need to be both systematic and infrastructural changes so as to attain the set target.
To reach the target of 100% renewable energy is actually the most important in order to achieve this target. It is an inconsistent deal that cements a pathway to a climate future that violates the survival needs of the fragile ecosystem and poor communities. We have to accept that all renewables have a place in the future sustainable economy and also not relying solely on markets to get renewables in the system. Again, there is the need to include significant enhancement of energy efficiency and conservation across all consumption sectors and products. These measures have to be buttressed with government regulations so as to shift a chunk of investment into renewables.
Carbon-free or reduced carbon sources of energy can be used to reduce carbon dioxide and this can help reach the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming since it helps work on carbon budget. The demand for this carbon fuels like coal and oil being increased will help reduce carbon fuels such as natural gas which also result in reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Pre-industrial affect available carbon budget for meeting the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming target. To able to avert the most dangerous changes in climate change which will make us have less carbon to burn than we previously thought, that would go a long way to help us reach the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. Even though this is really challenging, it is possible
By: Janet Quansah
University of Ghana
College of Humanities
Kwapong Hall