Climate change has two speeds: one at which the disastrous consequences on ecosystems, human beings and natural resources develop; and another, to which the negotiations to stop this effect on the world climate are being developed.
Given that an ecological and energy transition is necessary to stop climate change, what changes should we see as soon as possible if we want to avoid tragedy?
A world of transition
In prehistory, humans abandoned stone tools to move towards metals, and this wasn't because stone was scarce. Similarly, today, humanity doesn't have to wait for fossil fuels to run out to transition to renewable energy. The energy transition towards clean energy sources that help reduce greenhouse gases must be immediate, or at most, within a few years, because otherwise, humanity will face irreversible and unpredictable problems.
The technological changes humans make are not always due to the depletion of raw materials, but rather because the alternative is better and more economical. The era of combustion must end as soon as possible if we want to see a future. Many scientists assert that a significant portion of fossil fuel reserves must remain underground if we want to prevent the effects of climate change from becoming even more catastrophic.
In places like France, oil and gas exploration has already been banned , which is a major step forward in this energy transition. However, moving away from fossil fuels is not easy. Fossil fuels are practically the foundation of the energy that powers the world, and changing this is quite complex and a significant challenge.
Why is fossil energy so harmful if it is created by nature itself? Well, when this fuel is burned, large amounts of carbon dioxide are generated that is emitted into the atmosphere. This gas is capable of retaining heat in the atmosphere and preventing the planet from releasing said heat, increasing the planet's average temperatures. Once this meteorological variable is altered, the functioning of the ecosystems varies and is not the same. In this way, the patterns of operation of many meteorological phenomena such as rain, wind and hurricanes are altered.
Renewable energies to combat climate change
The good news is that, fortunately, nature also provides unlimited energy that doesn't pollute the environment. This is renewable energy. Wind and solar power, in particular, are capable of becoming viable alternatives in the markets, since they can develop electricity storage systems that, in the future, could replace fossil fuels.
Delegations from nearly 200 countries have spent two weeks discussing how to implement the Paris Agreement, which was finalized in 2015 and is already in force, but whose measures will not be applied until 2021, when the Kyoto Protocol expires. At this latest climate summit in Bonn, progress was made on the regulations for the Paris Agreement. However, the pace of this progress is slower than the rate at which climate alarms are being raised. In other words, everything agreed upon in Bonn will not be adopted until the next climate summit.
The advance of climate change
As mentioned before, there are two speeds at which climate change progresses. The fastest is that of the changes that occur in the climate on a global scale due to the effects of human beings on our ecosystems. The slowness with which these negotiations have been progressing for more than two decades contrasts with the strength and urgency of the alarms about the effects of climate change.
Reports issued by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) have recorded new records in global CO2 concentrations; however, the pace at which negotiations are attempting to curb these emissions is much slower. It is crucial to examine how the climate crisis impacts different countries to better understand the current situation.
We must urgently increase the speed and ambition at which the objectives have to be met if we want to stop climate change in time and for this race not to win us.
