Climate Change is Happening and We Need to Mitigate It

The problem with climate change is that it’s not something we can easily see, smell or feel. It is a slow-moving disaster that has been happening for many years, but some people have never been directly affected by it. The fact is, the earth's temperature is rising, and if we don’t act soon, the world will face severe, widespread, and irreversible impacts from global warming.

Our earth is warming, and we are responsible

The main cause of climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The Earth's atmosphere contains naturally occurring greenhouse gases that allow heat to be trapped near the Earth's surface. This helps keep our planet warm enough for life to exist on it. However, if there were more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than there are at present, then more heat would be trapped and the temperature would rise further still.

In the pre-industrial era, the world experienced a relatively stable climate. Along with the growing human population and industrial development, more and more greenhouse gases are being released into our atmosphere. The use of carbon-emitting fuels is one of the factors that are accelerating the rate of climate change. This is because when these fuels burn, they release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere which contributes to the greenhouse effect, causing our planet’s temperature to rise significantly over time.

Deforestation is another contributing factor that often gets overlooked. Trees help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by acting as a carbon sink. When we chop down a tree, we remove its ability to process carbon dioxide and produce oxygen—a process that helps regulate the balance of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In short, the more trees we cut down, the more greenhouse gases are released.

We have become the problems, it is time to be the part of solutions

Climate change is caused by increases in greenhouse gases like CO2 which trap heat in our atmosphere causing average global temperatures to rise. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the average global temperature has increased by 0.85° C, sea levels have risen by 19 cm, and the Arctic has lost 1.07 million km2 of ice per decade. This could have serious consequences for us as humans – for example, increased temperatures could increase evaporation rates which might lead to increased droughts in some areas and rising sea levels could lead to flooding in coastal areas.

Frequent and extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, and floods will impact people around the world especially the most vulnerable. The effects of climate change will be wide-reaching and include everything from natural resource depletion such as water shortage, disruption of crops that impact food security, famine, disease outbreaks to biodiversity loss.

The good news is that we can reduce the rate of climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. There are several ways we can do this:

?1. Accelerate the transition to renewable energy

Renewable energy such as geothermal, wind, solar and hydro is not just an environmentally friendly way of powering our lives – it’s also a key part of fighting climate change. We, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), are at the forefront of efforts to reduce carbon emissions by the national energy sector. With ~82% contribution to the total installed geothermal energy capacity in Indonesia, we have contributed to the emission reduction by ~1.9 million tCO2, or equivalent to ~370 thousand gasoline-powered passenger vehicles driven for a year.

2. Manage energy efficiency

In addition to changing the energy source, companies and industries should start operating in a way that energy consumption is efficient. We, at PGE, closely monitor our energy both electricity and fuel consumption. For our own use of electricity, we utilize our geothermal energy to replace electricity generated from carbon-emitting fuels. We also monitor energy consumption outside the company such as the use of fuel for employee shuttle operations.

3. Leverage technology

By using innovative technologies, we can also optimize our energy consumption and reduce emissions. PGE is currently developing a Brine to Power project as a co-generation for geothermal development optimization? and is initiating a Green Hydrogen development, produced from the water electrolysis process using geothermal energy. Another example is we start to introduce solar PV for powering our office operation and employee housing estate in Kamojang and Lahendong area.

Start taking climate action for a better tomorrow. Today.

Every year, United Nations holds a United Nations Climate Change Conference to bring countries together to keep the global average temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celcius.

This year, the conference of COP27 is held in Egypt, and it is expected that representatives of 190 countries will attend, including Indonesia’s Vice President and four Ministers. Governments are taking serious climate change measures to slow down greenhouse gas emissions.

How about us, as individuals? We can start changing our lifestyles. We can use public transportation, bicycle, or walk, to minimize fuel consumption. We can save energy by turning off the lights and appliances when they are not in use.?

Climate change is real and inevitable. Wherever we are, whatever our jobs are, climate change will have an impact on our life. Our climate actions no matter how small will shape our future planet – for better or for worse.