The World’s Environment
Yesterday, 5 June, was “World Environment Day” (WED): a day set aside in 1976 by the UN for the inhabitants of planet earth to spare a thought for the environment in which they exist. In those forty years, we have unfortunately not heeded the warnings of the fatal threat man’s activities posed to the fragile environmental balance, which makes man’s life on earth possible.
In 1976, the industrialised nations were facing the first “oil crisis” precipitated by the decision of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to seize control of the pricing of their petroleum products. Simultaneous with the increase of petroleum prices was the accumulation of scientific evidence that burning of fossil fuels (coal, petroleum and natural gas) since the industrial revolution had increased the atmospheric carbon-dioxide (CO2) content. This in turn, was creating a “greenhouse effect” in that the carbon-rich atmosphere was trapping a greater percentage of radiant energy from the sun and creating “global warming”.
The confluence of the rise in oil prices with the recognition of the adverse effects of fossil fuel usage created a surge in activities designed to be more protective of the atmosphere in terms of stabilizing and then lowering its CO2 content. Since then, however, there was an intense debate about whether the connection between CO2 in the atmosphere and global warming was merely correlative rather than causative.
Today the causative role is generally conceded and we know that large oil producers such as EXXON actually hid data since the seventies which supported that stance.
The rise in oil prices also spurred oil exploration and production both in opening up new oil fields and in utilising new technologies to give life to older ones or others that were previously not considered feasible. Developing countries also followed the model of the “developed countries” to deploy massive amounts of fossil fuels to drive their push towards industrialisation and production of commodities to deliver what was now the standard for defining the “good life”.
The result is our environment is at a tipping point towards the percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere that will make global warming irreversible. We have already reached 400 parts per million (ppm) way beyond the 350 ppm that is thought to be safe. As such, while there are all kinds of activities by mankind that harm our environment – such as the smuggling of wildlife that is this year’s theme for WED – the most pressing issue is for governments of the world to reduce CO2 levels.
In 2009, under the leadership of Bharrat Jagdeo and his PPP/C Administration, Guyana punched way above its “global weight category” to design and launch a “Low Carbon Development Strategy” (LCDS) that offered several initiatives to save the environment. Essentially, just as in the 19th century Malthus had predicted a very grim future for mankind as he predicted population growth would outstrip food production, leaders used technology to craft an alternative path to continue with the upward growth trajectory launched since the 17th century.
In a like manner the constraint of CO2 in the atmosphere can be reversed by utilising technology available to us right now. For one, there is the option of shifting energy production to drive industrialisation via “renewables” such as solar, wind, hydro and geothermal sources, rather than using petroleum products.
Increasing the forest cover on earth is one way to actually take CO2 out of the atmosphere since vegetation utilises Carbon its structure to then “sequester” it from creating global warming as a “carbon sink”.
Last December, 196 nations of the world acknowledged the threat to the world environment in their 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) resolution which committed limiting global temperature rise by 2 degree Celsius, increasing renewables to 30%, and committing funding to countries like Guyana that can create “carbon sinks”.
Our government can help our country and the environment by implementing the LCDS.
