A Little More on COP28
Sidenote: I am anxious to explain the science supporting global average annual temperatures limits when compared to the temperatures of the mid 1800’s. But since the COP is the one and only sheriff on Earth that will hold each of its member nations accountable for their fossil fuel emission pledges, you need a little more of what that’s all about. It’s so vital to warming’s ultimate fix.
COP28 at last changed the fossil fuel and climate change debate into a reckoning for all of humanity. A true action oriented commitment was ushered in. Still, there are no guarantees against continued stalling by the countries that thrive on petroleum production. Thankfully, transparency and accountability measures will happen in order to avoid BOG smiling by not participating. Why? Because renewable energy production is ramping up year by year and fairly soon it will be obvious as to which nations will be the last to conform to their pledges.
In this pivotal meeting of a few months ago, several other steps were made in the right direction. The USA joined 56 other countries in a pledge to eliminate existing coal power plants by 2035, and no new facilities will be permitted. This is a no-brainer since clean energy and natural gas are vastly cheaper. Coal produced only 20% of the USA’s electricity in 2023 - one half that of 2008. Sadly, China and India are building new coal energy plants on a regular basis because their transition to renewable energy is far behind schedule.
The greenhouse gases, in addition to CO2, are methane, nitrous oxide and fluorinated gas required for refrigeration. These shorter lived non-CO2 gasses are responsible for about one-third of human caused climate warming, with methane (CH2) the predominant poison. COP28 targeted all three for worldwide elimination. That’s pretty major. By the way, nitrous oxide (N20) will last about a century in our air space and the gas is brought about by agriculture activity, fuel burning, manure and certain industrial processes.
Meanwhile, America finalized a rule to greatly reduce its fossil fuel industry’s use of methane and that announcement was made at the COP28. Remember, methane has 80 times the atmospheric warming power of CO2 during its initial two decades of being adrift.
Also, the US’s EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) will enforce the industry leak provision which will cut methane emissions by 80% as of 2038, and will prevent about 58 million tons of the gas from conflicting the air.
It’s also exciting that 50 global BOG companies said “yes” to methane elimination via the New Oil and Gas Compact which is slated to slash methane by about 85% as of 2030. A new program was even adopted to monitor each nation’s progress in this methane reduction endeavor.
Another commitment is a promise from 117 countries to triple their clean energy production by 2030.
125 years of fossil fuel dominance is wavering and one day not too far off, BOG will have no other choice than to make a meaningful contribution by investing its unlimited wealth in new technologies on behalf of climate change.