Friday, 27 November 2020
23:37 Pm (WIB)
Joe Biden Said He Wants to 'Transition From the Oil Industry.' That Shouldn't Be a Surprise
When former Vice President Joe Biden said at Thursday’s presidential debate that he wanted to “transition from the oil industry,” President Donald Trump pounced. “Oh, that’s a big statement,” Trump said, later adding, “He’s going to destroy the oil industry. Will you remember that, Texas? Will you remember that, Pennsylvania?” Despite Trump’s taunts, Biden has laid out a plan to eliminate the U.S. carbon footprint by 2050. Moving away from producing oil over time is an obvious component of any plan that truly reckons with climate change, including Biden’s. Nearly 80% of U.S. energy-related emissions came from oil and gas last year. The math is unavoidable: the industry will need to evolve dramatically, or disappear.
“The oil industry pollutes significantly,” Biden said. “It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time. Over time.”
In a sense, the exchange offered a variation on a debate that’s been happening on the campaign trail, particularly in places with a large oil industry presence. That discussion has largely centered around fracking: Trump has accused Biden of planning to ban fracking and Biden has insisted he has no intention of doing so (a point his running-mate made emphatically at the vice-presidential debate. Biden’s statement may sound like tough love for the millions whose jobs are linked to the industry, but the truth is that the transition is already happening for a variety of reasons. Market forces have played a big role, and the oil industry is already in difficult straits. A collapse in oil prices earlier this year drove some smaller firms out of business and led to major overhauls—including layoffs—at many of the bigger ones.
Many analysts believe the world may never consume as much oil in a year as did it did in 2019. These realities have driven growing acknowledgement within the industry that it needs to adapt. Some companies have charted a long-term transition away from oil and gas and into renewables, electricity or other energy-related businesses. The U.S. also faces international pressure to decarbonize as an array of countries—including China and the European Union—have committed to eliminating their carbon footprints, and have slowly begun ratcheting up the pressure on the U.S. to do the same.
All of these factors make Trump’s outrage over a “transition from the oil industry” a little detached from the reality. The transition will happen. The bigger question is “what does it look like?”
Biden has sought to shift attention away from the decline in fossil fuels to the opportunity that such a transition would present to create jobs. His climate plan includes support massive investment in clean energy. Trump has presented nothing, leaving oil communities vulnerable to the industry’s long-term decline and all the gyrations that may happen on the way.
time.com/5903235/joe...oil-industry-debate/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrci5iDC...
What Does It Mean to Reach Net-Zero Emissions?
We will achieve net-zero emissions when any remaining human-caused GHG emissions are balanced out by removing GHGs from the atmosphere in a process known as carbon removal. First and foremost, human-caused emissions — like those from fossil-fueled vehicles and factories — should be reduced as close to zero as possible. Any remaining GHGs would be balanced with an equivalent amount of carbon removal, for example by restoring forests or through direct air capture and storage (DACS) technology. The concept of net-zero emissions is akin to "climate neutrality."
When Does the World Need to Reach Net-Zero Emissions?
Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to limit warming well below 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) and ideally 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). Climate impacts that are already unfolding around the world, even with only 1.1 degrees C (2 degrees F) of warming — from melting ice to devastating heat waves and more intense storms — show the urgency of minimizing temperature increase to no more than 1.5 degrees C. The latest science suggests that to meet the Paris Agreement's temperature goals, the world will need to reach net-zero emissions on the following timelines:
A). In scenarios that limit warming to 1.5 degrees C, carbon dioxide (CO2) reaches net-zero on average by 2050 (in scenarios with low or no overshoot) to 2052 (in scenarios that have high overshoot, in which temperature rise surpasses 1.5 degrees C for some time before being brought down). Total GHG emissions reach net-zero between 2063 and 2068.
B). In 2 degrees C scenarios, CO2 reaches net-zero on average by 2070 (in scenarios with a greater than 66% likelihood of limiting warming to 2 degrees C) to 2085 (50–66% likelihood). Total GHG emissions reach net-zero by the end of the century.
Do All Countries Need to Reach Net-Zero at the Same Time?
The timelines above are global averages. Because countries' economies and stages of development vary widely, there is no one-size-fits-all timeline for individual countries. There are, however, hard physical limits to the total emissions the atmosphere can support while limiting global temperature increase to the agreed goals of the Paris Agreement. At the very least, major emitters (such as the United States, the European Union and China) should reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, or it will be hard for the math to work regardless of what other countries do. Ideally, major emitters will reach net-zero much earlier, given that the largest economies play an outsize role in determining the trajectory of global emissions.
How Many Countries Have Net-Zero Targets?
Twenty countries and regions adopted net-zero targets as of June 2020 — Austria, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Denmark, the European Union, Fiji, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
This list only includes countries that adopted a net-zero target in law or another policy document. This does not include targets in political speeches, such as China’s noteworthy announcement. The Energy and Intelligence Climate Unit maintains an updated list of net-zero announcements here. As of June 2020, 120 countries are committed to working on net-zero targets through the Climate Ambition Alliance, including all least-developed countries and a handful of high-emitting countries. However, only around 10% of global emissions are covered by some form of an adopted net-zero target. Some net-zero targets have been incorporated directly into countries' commitments under the Paris Agreement.
How Do We Achieve Net-Zero Emissions?
Policy, technology and behavior need to shift across the board. For example, in pathways to 1.5 degrees C, renewables are projected to supply 70-85% of electricity by 2050. Energy efficiency and fuel-switching measures are critical for transportation. Improving the efficiency of food production, changing dietary choices, halting deforestation, restoring degraded lands, and reducing food loss and waste also have significant potential to reduce emissions. It is critical that the structural and economic transition necessary to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C is approached in a just manner, especially for workers tied to high-carbon industries. The good news is that most of the technologies we need are available and they are increasingly cost-competitive with high-carbon alternatives. Solar and wind now provide the cheapest power for 67% of the world. Markets are waking up to these opportunities and to the risks of a high-carbon economy, and shifting accordingly.
Additionally, investments will need to be made in carbon removal. The different pathways assessed by the IPCC to achieve 1.5 degrees C rely on different levels of carbon removal, but all rely on it to some extent. Removing CO2 from the atmosphere will be necessary to compensate for emissions from sectors in which reaching zero emissions is more difficult, such as aviation. Carbon removal can be achieved by several means, including land-based approaches (such as restoring forests and boosting soil uptake of carbon) and technological approaches (such as direct air capture and storage, or mineralization).
Does the Paris Agreement Commit Countries to Achieving Net-Zero Emissions?
In short, yes.
The Paris Agreement has a long-term goal of achieving "a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century , on the basis of equity, and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty." The concept of balancing emissions and removals is akin to reaching net-zero emissions.
Coupled with the ultimate goal to limit warming well below 2 degrees C, and aiming for 1.5 degrees C, the Paris Agreement commits governments to sharply reduce emissions and ramp up efforts to reach net-zero emissions in time to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The Paris Agreement framework also invites countries to submit long-term, low-emissions development strategies by 2020. These strategies can be a vehicle for setting net-zero targets and chart how countries aim to make such transitions.
Commitments to create bold short- and long-term targets that align with a net-zero emissions future would send important signals to all levels of government, to the private sector, and to the public that leaders are betting on a safe and prosperous future, rather than one devastated by climate impacts.
www.wri.org/blog/201...n-questions-answered
Best regards,
RyodaBrainless
"Live to Ride and Ride to Live"
23:37 Pm (WIB)
Joe Biden Said He Wants to 'Transition From the Oil Industry.' That Shouldn't Be a Surprise
When former Vice President Joe Biden said at Thursday’s presidential debate that he wanted to “transition from the oil industry,” President Donald Trump pounced. “Oh, that’s a big statement,” Trump said, later adding, “He’s going to destroy the oil industry. Will you remember that, Texas? Will you remember that, Pennsylvania?” Despite Trump’s taunts, Biden has laid out a plan to eliminate the U.S. carbon footprint by 2050. Moving away from producing oil over time is an obvious component of any plan that truly reckons with climate change, including Biden’s. Nearly 80% of U.S. energy-related emissions came from oil and gas last year. The math is unavoidable: the industry will need to evolve dramatically, or disappear.
“The oil industry pollutes significantly,” Biden said. “It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time. Over time.”
In a sense, the exchange offered a variation on a debate that’s been happening on the campaign trail, particularly in places with a large oil industry presence. That discussion has largely centered around fracking: Trump has accused Biden of planning to ban fracking and Biden has insisted he has no intention of doing so (a point his running-mate made emphatically at the vice-presidential debate. Biden’s statement may sound like tough love for the millions whose jobs are linked to the industry, but the truth is that the transition is already happening for a variety of reasons. Market forces have played a big role, and the oil industry is already in difficult straits. A collapse in oil prices earlier this year drove some smaller firms out of business and led to major overhauls—including layoffs—at many of the bigger ones.
Many analysts believe the world may never consume as much oil in a year as did it did in 2019. These realities have driven growing acknowledgement within the industry that it needs to adapt. Some companies have charted a long-term transition away from oil and gas and into renewables, electricity or other energy-related businesses. The U.S. also faces international pressure to decarbonize as an array of countries—including China and the European Union—have committed to eliminating their carbon footprints, and have slowly begun ratcheting up the pressure on the U.S. to do the same.
All of these factors make Trump’s outrage over a “transition from the oil industry” a little detached from the reality. The transition will happen. The bigger question is “what does it look like?”
Biden has sought to shift attention away from the decline in fossil fuels to the opportunity that such a transition would present to create jobs. His climate plan includes support massive investment in clean energy. Trump has presented nothing, leaving oil communities vulnerable to the industry’s long-term decline and all the gyrations that may happen on the way.
time.com/5903235/joe...oil-industry-debate/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrci5iDC...
What Does It Mean to Reach Net-Zero Emissions?
We will achieve net-zero emissions when any remaining human-caused GHG emissions are balanced out by removing GHGs from the atmosphere in a process known as carbon removal. First and foremost, human-caused emissions — like those from fossil-fueled vehicles and factories — should be reduced as close to zero as possible. Any remaining GHGs would be balanced with an equivalent amount of carbon removal, for example by restoring forests or through direct air capture and storage (DACS) technology. The concept of net-zero emissions is akin to "climate neutrality."
When Does the World Need to Reach Net-Zero Emissions?
Under the Paris Agreement, countries agreed to limit warming well below 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F) and ideally 1.5 degrees C (2.7 degrees F). Climate impacts that are already unfolding around the world, even with only 1.1 degrees C (2 degrees F) of warming — from melting ice to devastating heat waves and more intense storms — show the urgency of minimizing temperature increase to no more than 1.5 degrees C. The latest science suggests that to meet the Paris Agreement's temperature goals, the world will need to reach net-zero emissions on the following timelines:
A). In scenarios that limit warming to 1.5 degrees C, carbon dioxide (CO2) reaches net-zero on average by 2050 (in scenarios with low or no overshoot) to 2052 (in scenarios that have high overshoot, in which temperature rise surpasses 1.5 degrees C for some time before being brought down). Total GHG emissions reach net-zero between 2063 and 2068.
B). In 2 degrees C scenarios, CO2 reaches net-zero on average by 2070 (in scenarios with a greater than 66% likelihood of limiting warming to 2 degrees C) to 2085 (50–66% likelihood). Total GHG emissions reach net-zero by the end of the century.
Do All Countries Need to Reach Net-Zero at the Same Time?
The timelines above are global averages. Because countries' economies and stages of development vary widely, there is no one-size-fits-all timeline for individual countries. There are, however, hard physical limits to the total emissions the atmosphere can support while limiting global temperature increase to the agreed goals of the Paris Agreement. At the very least, major emitters (such as the United States, the European Union and China) should reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, or it will be hard for the math to work regardless of what other countries do. Ideally, major emitters will reach net-zero much earlier, given that the largest economies play an outsize role in determining the trajectory of global emissions.
How Many Countries Have Net-Zero Targets?
Twenty countries and regions adopted net-zero targets as of June 2020 — Austria, Bhutan, Costa Rica, Denmark, the European Union, Fiji, Finland, France, Hungary, Iceland, Japan, the Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
This list only includes countries that adopted a net-zero target in law or another policy document. This does not include targets in political speeches, such as China’s noteworthy announcement. The Energy and Intelligence Climate Unit maintains an updated list of net-zero announcements here. As of June 2020, 120 countries are committed to working on net-zero targets through the Climate Ambition Alliance, including all least-developed countries and a handful of high-emitting countries. However, only around 10% of global emissions are covered by some form of an adopted net-zero target. Some net-zero targets have been incorporated directly into countries' commitments under the Paris Agreement.
How Do We Achieve Net-Zero Emissions?
Policy, technology and behavior need to shift across the board. For example, in pathways to 1.5 degrees C, renewables are projected to supply 70-85% of electricity by 2050. Energy efficiency and fuel-switching measures are critical for transportation. Improving the efficiency of food production, changing dietary choices, halting deforestation, restoring degraded lands, and reducing food loss and waste also have significant potential to reduce emissions. It is critical that the structural and economic transition necessary to limit warming to 1.5 degrees C is approached in a just manner, especially for workers tied to high-carbon industries. The good news is that most of the technologies we need are available and they are increasingly cost-competitive with high-carbon alternatives. Solar and wind now provide the cheapest power for 67% of the world. Markets are waking up to these opportunities and to the risks of a high-carbon economy, and shifting accordingly.
Additionally, investments will need to be made in carbon removal. The different pathways assessed by the IPCC to achieve 1.5 degrees C rely on different levels of carbon removal, but all rely on it to some extent. Removing CO2 from the atmosphere will be necessary to compensate for emissions from sectors in which reaching zero emissions is more difficult, such as aviation. Carbon removal can be achieved by several means, including land-based approaches (such as restoring forests and boosting soil uptake of carbon) and technological approaches (such as direct air capture and storage, or mineralization).
Does the Paris Agreement Commit Countries to Achieving Net-Zero Emissions?
In short, yes.
The Paris Agreement has a long-term goal of achieving "a balance between anthropogenic emissions by sources and removals by sinks of greenhouse gases in the second half of this century , on the basis of equity, and in the context of sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty." The concept of balancing emissions and removals is akin to reaching net-zero emissions.
Coupled with the ultimate goal to limit warming well below 2 degrees C, and aiming for 1.5 degrees C, the Paris Agreement commits governments to sharply reduce emissions and ramp up efforts to reach net-zero emissions in time to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. The Paris Agreement framework also invites countries to submit long-term, low-emissions development strategies by 2020. These strategies can be a vehicle for setting net-zero targets and chart how countries aim to make such transitions.
Commitments to create bold short- and long-term targets that align with a net-zero emissions future would send important signals to all levels of government, to the private sector, and to the public that leaders are betting on a safe and prosperous future, rather than one devastated by climate impacts.
www.wri.org/blog/201...n-questions-answered
Best regards,
RyodaBrainless
"Live to Ride and Ride to Live"