Energy Efficiency and Climate Change PDF

Energy efficiency is all about using less energy to do the same things. For example, you can switch to LED light bulbs that use less energy to produce the same amount of light as old-fashioned bulbs. Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by your actions. G...

Energy efficiency is all about using less energy to do the same things. For example, you can switch to LED light bulbs that use less energy to produce the same amount of light as old-fashioned bulbs. Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by your actions. Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to climate change. You can reduce your carbon footprint by using less energy, eating less meat, and recycling. (There are many effects of Carbon Footprint out of which 90% are more closely related to Climate Change, as the lead factor of climate change is increase in Carbon Footprint.) Causes: ​ Burning coal, oil and gas produces carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. ​ Cutting down forests (deforestation). Trees help to regulate the climate by absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. When they are cut down, that beneficial effect is lost and the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere, adding to the greenhouse effect. ​ Increasing livestock farming. Cows and sheep produce large amounts of methane when they digest their food. ​ Fertilisers containing nitrogen produce nitrous oxide emissions. ​ Fluorinated gases are emitted from equipment and products that use these gases. Such emissions have a very strong warming effect, up to 23 000 times greater than CO2. (Increase in Greenhouse gases such as Carbon dioxide, Methane, Nitrous oxide, Hyfrophlurocarbons, Nitrogen trifluoride, Sulphur hexafluoride & PFAS will cause and increase in Carbon Footprint.) Effects: A country’s deforestation activities and our increased usage of air conditioners in our houses both result in increased carbon emissions that deplete large-scale resources. The impact of carbon footprints on climate change is significant. The atmosphere’s greenhouse gas emissions cause the world to warm. The warmest decade on record, according to records kept by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), occurred from 2011 to 2020. The emissions of carbon dioxide grew by 31% between 1990 and 2005. By 2008, the emissions have increased radioactive warming- a change in the energy balances of the Earth toward warming- by 35% over 1990 levels. Fossil fuels – coal, oil and gas – are by far the largest contributor to global climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. Hotter temperatures As greenhouse gas concentrations rise, so does the global surface temperature. The last decade, 2011-2020, is the warmest on record. Since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one. Nearly all land areas are seeing more hot days and heat waves. Higher temperatures increase heat-related illnesses and make working outdoors more difficult. Wildfires start more easily and spread more rapidly when conditions are hotter. Temperatures in the Arctic have warmed at least twice as fast as the global average. More severe storms Destructive storms have become more intense and more frequent in many regions. As temperatures rise, more moisture evaporates, which exacerbates extreme rainfall and flooding, causing more destructive storms. The frequency and extent of tropical storms is also affected by the warming ocean. Cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons feed on warm waters at the ocean surface. Such storms often destroy homes and communities, causing deaths and huge economic losses. Increased drought Climate change is changing water availability, making it scarcer in more regions. Global warming exacerbates water shortages in already water-stressed regions and is leading to an increased risk of agricultural droughts affecting crops, and ecological droughts increasing the vulnerability of ecosystems. Droughts can also stir destructive sand and dust storms that can move billions of tons of sand across continents. Deserts are expanding, reducing land for growing food. Many people now face the threat of not having enough water on a regular basis. A warming, rising ocean The ocean soaks up most of the heat from global warming. The rate at which the ocean is warming strongly increased over the past two decades, across all depths of the ocean. As the ocean warms, its volume increases since water expands as it gets warmer. Melting ice sheets also cause sea levels to rise, threatening coastal and island communities. In addition, the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide, keeping it from the atmosphere. But more carbon dioxide makes the ocean more acidic, which endangers marine life and coral reefs. Loss of species Climate change poses risks to the survival of species on land and in the ocean. These risks increase as temperatures climb. Exacerbated by climate change, the world is losing species at a rate 1,000 times greater than at any other time in recorded human history. One million species are at risk of becoming extinct within the next few decades. Forest fires, extreme weather, and invasive pests and diseases are among many threats related to climate change. Some species will be able to relocate and survive, but others will not. Not enough food Changes in the climate and increases in extreme weather events are among the reasons behind a global rise in hunger and poor nutrition. Fisheries, crops, and livestock may be destroyed or become less productive. With the ocean becoming more acidic, marine resources that feed 7billions of people are at risk. Changes in snow and ice cover in many Arctic regions have disrupted food supplies from herding, hunting, and fishing. Heat stress can diminish water and grasslands for grazing, causing declining crop yields and affecting livestock. More health risks Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. Climate impacts are already harming health, through air pollution, disease, extreme weather events, forced displacement, pressures on mental health, and increased hunger and poor nutrition in places where people cannot grow or find sufficient food. Every year, environmental factors take the lives of around 13 million people. Changing weather patterns are expanding diseases, and extreme weather events increase deaths and make it difficult for health care systems to keep up. Poverty and displacement Climate change increases the factors that put and keep people in poverty. Floods may sweep away urban slums, destroying homes and livelihoods. Heat can make it difficult to work in outdoor jobs. Water scarcity may affect crops. Over the past decade (2010–2019), weather-related events displaced an estimated 23.1 million people on average each year, leaving many more vulnerable to poverty. Most refugees come from countries that are most vulnerable and least ready to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Contributions of countries in the total GHG emissions Fig 1.2 Fig 1.1 Data provided in both numerical and graphical format.fig 1.1 and fig 1.2 show the contribution of different countries in the global GHG emissions. This data is based on territorial emissions India’s GHG emissions Fig 1.3 The Data in fig 1.3 is about India's emission of greenhouse gasses from 2015 up till 2022. It is observed that India's GHG (greenhouse gasses) emissions have risen by 17 percent since 2015. Change in CO2 emissions in metric tons per capita from 1970 to 2022 in India Fig 1.4 The data in fig 1.4 shows the change in the CO2 emissions in metric tons per capita over the course of 5 decades in India.It is seen that the per capita carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in India have increased rapidly in recent decades, climbing from roughly 0.4 metric tons in 1970 to a high of 2.07 metric tons in 2023. This was an increase of 6.7 percent in comparison to 2022 levels. Total CO₂ emissions in India also reached a record high in 2023.One of the main reasons for India's high emissions is the country's reliance on coal, the most polluting of fossil fuels. India's CO₂ emissions from coal totaled more than 1.8 billion metric tons in 2022, a fivefold... increase from 1990 levels.(can be seen in fig 1.5) fig 1.5 In 2022, 1.85 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂) were produced in India through the combustion of coal. This was the highest amount recorded over the period under consideration and represented an increase of roughly 5% over the prior year. India is one of the largest producers and consumers of coal. After registering a significant growth during FY: 2021-22 over 2019-20 (13.4%), the story of the increasing demand and consumption continues during FY:2022-23 (8.5%) over FY:2021-22 (Table 6.1). According to fig 6.3 India has had an impressive rise in energy usage over this decade. A growth from a figure of 26,822 Petajoules (PJ) during 2013-14 to 35,159 Petajoules (PJ) in 2022-23 (P). Overall energy usage has risen from 33,018 PJ in 2021-22 to 35,159 PJ in 2022-23(P) i.e. an increase of 6.48%. Coal and lignite together have achieved the greatest growth of around 8.63% during FY:2022-23(P) over the previous year. Fig 6.4 shows the energy consumption by its source. Coal and Lignite was highest which accounted for about 59% of the total consumption during 2022-23(P) followed by Crude Oil (31%) and Natural Gas (7%) Fig 6.5 shows the use of coal in different sectors. As we can see the electricity sector remains the biggest consumer of Raw Coal and Lignite in India with this sector consuming as much as 70.40% of the total consumption of coal and about 83.16% of the total consumption of lignite. According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the consumption of lignite increased from 32.94 million tonnes (MT) in 2020-21 to 49.08 MT in 2021-22, which is approximately a 49% increase. This sharp rise can be attributed to the higher demand in the electricity and power sector during the year 2022-23.