Good signs in tackling climate change, but problems ahead

The start of a New Year is a good time to review what progress countries have made in the last 12 months made to tackle climate change.

“There have been some good signs of progress in 2024,” said Midlands green energy expert Ron Fox. “But there are still some worryingly trends looking ahead to this year.”

Firstly, the good news. The UK closed its last remaining coal power station in September last year, proving that electricity can still flow without using the dirtiest fossil fuels.

In the EU, the share of electricity coming from coal, oil and gas had also reached a new low early last year.

Secondly, green energy such as wind and solar power have increased massively and are getting cheaper.

Last year, many countries promised to triple the capacity of so-called ‘renewables’ by 2030, therefore reducing CO2 emissions, even as electricity demand grows.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global renewable capacity to grow 2.7 times by 2030 compared with its 2022 level. Encouragingly, China alone is expected to account for more than half of the growth in global renewable capacity to 2030, according to the IEA. But renewables are also set to rise quickly in the EU, US and India, as well as the UK.

However, the problem is that while a fossil fuel-driven power station can be fired up at any time of the day, the wind doesn’t always blow and the sun doesn’t always shine. This is where batteries and other forms of energy storage are key to the expansion of renewables.

Thirdly, the number of electric vehicles (EVs) is increasing quickly, led by China. This is the main way to reduce planet-warming emissions from road transport, according to the UN, as they can be powered by clean electricity, rather than directly from fossil fuels.

In China, the IEA estimates that more than 60 per cent of electric cars sold in 2023 were already cheaper than their petrol or diesel equivalent, partly thanks to government subsidies to the industry, encouraging more people to make the switch.

In other regions, such as the UK, electric cars have typically been more expensive, but are generally getting cheaper.

Fourthly, at last year’s COP28 meeting in the United Arab Emirates, countries agreed to “transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems.” This is the first time that the world has taken direct aim at coal, oil and gas, the main drivers of climate change because they release planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned for energy.

Fifthly, deforestation fell significantly last year in Brazil’s Amazon, which sucks up so much harmful carbon dioxide. This is a region that has historically helped to buffer the world from further warming, by absorbing some of the carbon dioxide produced from human activities.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva returned to power, promising to tackle tree loss. His predecessor Jair Bolsonaro had significantly weakened legal protections for the forest.

“But there is also some bad news,” said Ron, of Noreus Ltd on the University of Keele Science Innovation Park.

Firstly, the use of fossil fuel use is still rising despite positive steps by some countries, including the UK and the EU, to wean themselves off these damaging energy sources.

But with new fossil fuel projects still being approved in many countries, including China, a recent UN report has warned that the present policies put the world on track for around 3C warming by the end of the century. This way above the target of limiting long-term warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, agreed by nearly 200 countries at the climate summit in Paris in 2015.

The UN says that the 1.5C target is still “technically possible”, but only with huge cuts to emissions over the next decade.

Secondly, although deforestation has fallen significantly in Brazil, it has increased in other parts of the Amazon, such as in Bolivia. So, the world remains far off track to meeting its target of halting deforestation by 2030, according to the World Resources Institute.

Thirdly, the recent US election has led to incoming president Donald Trump pledging to withdraw the US, one of the biggest emitters of CO2, from the Paris climate agreement. His comment to “drill, baby, drill” for more oil and gas is considered by many experts to be a major blow to global climate action.

“It is going to be another crucial year in the battle against climate change,” said Ron. “Although it is up to the world leaders to make the big decisions, everyone can help in this battle in a small way by ensuring they switch to green energy and make sure their homes are well insulated.”

For more advice on green energy and insulation, contact Ron Fox, of Noreus Ltd which is based at Keele University’s Science and Innovation Park, on 0845 474 6641 or go to www.noreus.co.uk.

Caption: A review of how the world is progressing in the fight against climate change.