The Power and Freedom of Net Zero

The Power and Freedom of Net Zero

A world reliant on international oil, gas and coal markets is a world where geopolitical crises, extreme weather and infrastructure disruptions reverberate around the global economy, leading to price and supply shocks. It’s a world that continues to fuel bigger risks – from volatile prices, to the health impacts of pollution, to the migration driven by drought, flood, food shortages and war.

Reliance on clean, flexible, distributed and unlimited renewable fuels can alleviate these risks, leading to greater energy independence, wider access to affordable energy sources, clean air and faster sustainable development.

The current geopolitical crisis and instability of Russian oil and gas imports is alarming, and leading some to argue they should step up development of their own oil and gas resources, as a way to ensure energy security. However, this is not the best way to respond to the current crisis.

Instead, this is a time double down on the global race to zero emissions and systemic resilience to the impacts of climate change.?It’s the time to pivot away from a centralized energy system reliant on a few big suppliers of fossil fuels and power generators – towards a fair, distributed and clean system.?

This is a system that’s designed for the local community – taking advantage of local resources such as wind, sunshine and hydro, and incorporating efficiency measures such as home insulation.

The European Union, for example, could reduce its imports on Russian gas by more than one-third within a year through measures that support the European Green Deal, energy?security and energy affordability, according to the?International Energy Agency. These include accelerating the deployment of solar and wind, maximizing the use of existing low-emission sources such as nuclear and renewables, and ramping up energy efficiency in homes and businesses.

We won’t end our reliance on fossil fuels overnight, or even within a couple of years. This transition needs to occur in a just, planned and orderly way that benefits local communities and diversifies economies.

But developing new oil and gas fields is not a quick or attractive fix. They would take years to develop, and even domestic supplies are linked to international prices. And, as the science makes clear, there is no room for new fossil fuels developments on the route to zero emissions before 2050.

The Race to Zero Criteria

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The?process is now underway?to strengthen, clarify and update the criteria for members of the UN-back Race to Zero. This is an annual consultation, supported by an?expert peer review group, designed to continually raise the standard for best practices around robust targets for net zero emissions.

The Race to Zero set its Starting Line Criteria in 2021, requiring members to pledge, plan, proceed and publish targets for net zero emissions before 2050.

But climate action and the impacts of climate change are rapidly evolving, with the growing body of climate science, exponential growth of zero-carbon solutions and lessons learned by frontrunners.

The Race to Zero consultation is an independent process led by experts and practitioners from around the world - some connected to the campaign, some not. Through lively discussion, and likely disagreements, the expert peer review group will digest suggestions and draft new criteria around the requirements to pledge, plan, proceed and publish.

These will be presented to UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, Nigel Topping and Mahmoud Mohieldin, for approval and published in June. They will take immediate effect for any new partner or member looking to join the Race to Zero, while existing partners and members will have a year to make updates to their work.

Middle East and North Africa Regional Climate Week

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The High-Level Champions are excited to launch their programme for the first-ever?Middle East and North Africa Regional Climate Week, taking place in Dubai from 28-31 March. The?event provides a platform?for governments, cities, private sector leaders, financial institutions and civil society to advance collaborative climate action in the region through deep dialogue and engagement.

It also marks the first public appearance for the Egyptian High-Level Climate Champion for the COP27 Presidency, Mahmoud Mohieldin, alongside Nigel Topping, UK High-Level Climate Champion for the COP26 Presidency. The two will share their priorities for the year, kickstarting the five-year plan for the?Improved Marrakech Partnership.

The?programme?includes the Regionalization Workshop of the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, on 29 March at 2-6pm local time, which will bring stakeholders together to assess climate change in the region, explore challenges and opportunities, and showcase ambitious solutions within the context of the Race to Resilience and Race to Zero campaigns.

It also includes a Marrakech Partnership Implementation Lab on water and strengthening resilience on 28 March at 4:30-6:30pm local time. It will look at how recycled water can play a critical role in supporting climate resilience and water and food security in the MENA region.

An?information note?has recently been published for all participants. Register?now?and join us in Dubai!

Spotlight on Locally Led Adaptation

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The Resilience Hub at COP26 provided a new, global platform for people experiencing the impacts of climate change and working to build resilience and adaptation around the world.

Their voices were amplified, and heard, like at no other COP. But - with climate change already disrupting and destroying the lives of billions - it’s not enough to be heard. Their experiences need to influence leadership decisions, including at COP negotiations.

The?Gobeshona Global Conference, from 27 March-1 April, will explore how the experiences and knowledge of those working on locally led adaptation and resilience can be elevated at COP27 in Egypt. Bringing together researchers from around the world, the conference aims to set out actionable research that can inform policies and climate action work.

‘Gobeshona’ means ‘research’ in Bangladeshi, and the?conference is designed?to share knowledge about locally led adaptation and resilience. This will be the second annual virtual international Gobeshona conference, which has been running in Bangladesh since 2014.

The Climate Vulnerable Forum of 55 developing countries, currently chaired by Bangladesh, is already leading global action on adaptation and resilience, including through a joint multi-donor fund it created,?writes Saleem Huq, an Ambassador for the Race to Zero and Race to Resilience.

In Case You Missed It

  • Even the fastest feasible path of emission reductions would require at least 70-220 Gt of carbon to be removed by 2050. The?Energy Transitions Commission?looks at how to do this, with a combination of nature-based solutions such as reforestation, engineered solutions such as direct air capture, and hybrid solutions such as bioenergy plus carbon capture and storage.
  • 175 countries have endorsed a historic?UN resolution to end plastic pollution?and agree to an international, legally binding agreement by the end of 2024. Plastic pollution soared from 2 million tonnes in 1950 to 348 million tonnes in 2017, according to the UN Environment Programme. It is expected to double in capacity by 2040.
  • More than 1,000 companies with revenues of US$4.7 trillion have signed a call on governments to adopt policies now to reverse nature loss in this decade. You too can join the Business for Nature Call to Action by?signing up here.
  • China plans to build?450 GW of solar and wind power generation in the Gobi and other desert regions, in an effort to reach 1,200 GW and peak emissions by 2030.
  • Thailand’s biggest-in-the-world?floating hydro-solar power project, which started operating last October, is the first of 15 the country intends to build by 2037. It can generate 145 MW – using sunshine by day and hydro by night.
  • The?Climate Action Accelerator?has become an official partner of the Race to Zero, enabling the international aid sector to join forces with the campaign.
  • Resilience First and the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure have launched the?Engineering Leadership Group, a network of engineering firms working to advance infrastructure sustainability, resilience and climate action.

For more news and features from around the Race to Resilience and Race to Zero community, visit?climatechampions.unfccc.int.

Mark Your Calendars

Kevin Rolfe

JP; Chartered Chemical Engineer and Chartered Scientist; Member of the Oxford Round Table; Director/Owner at Kevin Rolfe Consulting Limited; Born when the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was 310ppm - now >420ppm

2 年

Thanks Nigel for posting this. I generally agree, except please forget the word NET in Net Zero. See for example, Robert (Bob) Watson et al in https://theconversation.com/climate-scientists-concept-of-net-zero-is-a-dangerous-trap-15736 I am sure you know who Bob Watson is. Along with his fellow former NASA scientist, James Hansen, he is the person I quote most regularly on climate change issues. You should see my regular LinkedIn posts and comments on this, and related matters. Although a little dated, I refer you also to the submissions and videos at kevinrolfeconsultingltd.co.nz/radio-interviews Kind regards

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James Phillips

Retired Geoscientist and CEO

3 年

Yeah, we’ve seen how a world relying on renewables works! Ha!

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John Coalter

Founder & CEO @ Electrical World

3 年

Get to net zero and import everything which is at least 10x the carbon … makes total sense

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Ben Kimura-Gross

?? Impact Founders: Land 6-figure corporate deals with great clients on YOUR terms without sacrificing your values ???? | | | Networker, B2B sales negotiation trainer, mentor at Startupbootcamp, LSE, WONDR

3 年

Let's face it, the great experiment of modern capitalist economies has reminded us of something we've always known: The quality of every system depends on the quality of the people acting within it. Every system can be subverted. When the actors in a system are misled, misinformed, deluded, or simply irrational (as behavioral scientisy Dan Ariely would argue), EVERY system of financial, social, or corporate governance can be brought to its knees. No doubt: Amazing advances have been made possible because we've tried so hard to make better systems & institutions, and I don't question that many of them, including capitalism, even the fossil fuel industry (at one point), have brought positive change into the world. But at this point, the toxic mix of fossil fuels, capitalism and bad-impact* actors risks our environment, our societies, our peace and our future on spaceship Earth. So here's to people with integrity, like the garbage company CEO in this TED talk: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5wYreY5gfF2Nnm2vcrQuKY?si=G14XAfxaT7CP-dP94HAOog&utm_source=copy-link * whether it's because they're misled, misinformed, deluded, or simply irrational

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