For many years, people have been warned about the dangers of climate change. With the global average of atmospheric carbon dioxide reaching a record high of 409.8 parts per million in over 800,000 years, the earth is warming at an alarming rate. Due to this spike in global temperature, many countries have begun to experience more and more natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires, and floods.
In order to combat this, many have called for businesses and individuals alike to practice sustainability as a way of reducing the carbon emissions produced everyday. According to Investopedia, the term means “to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.” For many, this would mean changing personal choices like taking public transportation instead of a car to reduce carbon emissions or to seek greener transportation alternatives, such as e-vehicles.
Although these endeavors have reduced the amount of carbon released into the air, many have stated that sustainability is no longer enough to keep our planet alive. With the world’s energy supply still largely dependent on finite sources such as coal and oil, sustainable practices, according to the Earthbound Report, only “limit the destruction of the environment to a level that can be managed.” While it is a good step towards being more environmentally conscious, it is not enough to keep the planet from being irreversibly destroyed. The same report noted that sustainability only serves to “pause, not reverse climate change” rather than actually helping the earth heal itself.
It is for these reasons that businesses such as First Gen Corporation now call for the shift to “regenerative” business models, rather than stop at sustainable ones. As defined by Daniel Christian Wahl, author of “Designing Regenerative Cultures,” a regenerative business model supports “win-win-win solutions” that serve “both people and the planet” without sacrificing profit. Unlike traditional business models, regenerative models do not treat resources as a means to an end. Instead, they understand the balance of the earth’s natural resources and work with it, instead of attempting to control it. Regenerative mindsets seek to have a “give and take” relationship to everything, which encourages compromise between groups in order to achieve the greater good. In this manner, individuals are able to set aside their individual interests and contribute “to the health of the whole.”
One manner of doing this is through decarbonizing our sources of power. The World Data Atlas recorded that the Philippines alone emits 140 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2019. As of now, this number has increased by an annual rate of 4.02%. The world greatly relies on electricity to function. Hence, it is clear that energy demand will continue to grow, especially as we grow more dependent on technology. This creates a greater need to decarbonize our energy sources and improve our energy efficiency.
According to a report made by the Finnish electric vehicle charging company Virta, for instance, decarbonization’s end goal is to “replace fossil fuel-reliant systems with electricity produced with low-carbon resources.” Essentially, decarbonization calls for the “electrification of everything with zero-carbon power.” “Zero-carbon power” is typically brought about by renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind. Many renewable sources, however, are intermittent in nature, which means that they will not always be available. Because of this intermittency, these renewable sources of energy must be paired with a stable complementary source in order to kick start the transition towards a greener tomorrow.
This is where natural gas comes in. As the cleanest fossil fuel, natural gas emits as much as 60% less carbon dioxide than coal and does not leave behind harmful by-products such as sludge or ash. Natural gas power plants are also able to quickly provide power when other sources suddenly become unavailable (e.g. when there is not enough sunlight or wind speed). Because of this, natural gas is an ideal “bridge fuel” to renewable energy as it enables the increased use of renewable energy towards a fully decarbonized future. Decarbonizing the power sector is crucial to a regenerative future. To do so, however, we must also ensure energy security as we transition to renewable sources – calling for a partnership between flexible natural gas and intermittent renewable energy.
The transition from fossil fuels to renewables will not happen overnight. However, if people are willing to shift their mindsets towards regeneration, a world that is fully powered by renewable energy can happen soon, provided that we have complementary support systems, like natural gas, to support renewable energy sources until we get there. Although it is difficult, it is necessary to start thinking about how our current actions affect the world in the long run and come up with ways to reduce and even reverse our impact. Natural gas has great potential to help humans wean off of highly polluting fuels and rely on purely green energy in the coming years. However, this will only remain as a potential if only a few will make the transition. While there has been progress, a decarbonized future will only be reached if more people and businesses come together and make the transition.
1 comment
You missed geothermal which is sustaible 24 hours.