Climate change, CO2, Paris goals for global temperatures

The main question is: how can the world reverse the trend of global warming?
This thread is a open discussion about needed strategies and implementation by
• countries
• climate zones
• individuals
• companies
etc.
to fulfill Paris goals for 2050: not crossing the red line of warming more than 2 degrees.

Please discuss here new technologies, talk about systems and attempts to reduce pollution, find ways to fight drying out the land and flooding the islands. Having enough food for the world as well as giving every individual a base for a living on his known territory and more.

GFIs1
opened as a side thread of " Oil price negative?"

Get the full Paris contract here:

https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf

it was signed 12th Dec. 2015 by many countries

GFIs1

One of the big questions I have about the Green Initiative is how green is it?

Tesla make electric cars. Green because reduces the use of Petroleum I agree. But where does the electricity come from. Where do the rare metals come for the batteries. Where do the batteries go if they are not recyclable?

Solar and Wind are obviously greener than carbon based power plants. But when the wind isn't blow wind farms don't produce electricity. When the sun goes behind the clouds Solar farms literally plummet in their output. Where does grid stability come from? If we have to be running extra gas plants as auxiliary services (its called spinning reserve) to make up for this are we really saving that much?

There are stories that the amount of energy and pollution required to make the concrete involved in mounting a single wind turbine. Fake news? Something to worried about thats never discussed?

SMCJB 

One of the big questions I have about the Green Initiative is how green is it? Tesla make electric cars. Green because reduces the use of Petroleum I agree. But where does the electricity come from. Where do the rare metals come for the batteries. Where do the batteries go if they are not recyclable? Solar and Wind are obviously greener than carbon based power plants. But when the wind isn't blow wind farms don't produce electricity. When the sun goes behind the clouds Solar farms literally plummet in their output. Where does grid stability come from? If we have to be running extra gas plants as auxiliary services (its called spinning reserve) to make up for this are we really saving that much? There are stories that the amount of energy and pollution required to make the concrete involved in mounting a single wind turbine. Fake news? Something to worried about thats never discussed?

good points. just two days i watched the new docu presented by Michael Moore, its exactly about this and i think worth watching if you are intrested in this thread.

SMCJB 

One of the big questions I have about the Green Initiative is how green is it? Tesla make electric cars. Green because reduces the use of Petroleum I agree. But where does the electricity come from. Where do the rare metals come for the batteries. Where do the batteries go if they are not recyclable? Solar and Wind are obviously greener than carbon based power plants. But when the wind isn't blow wind farms don't produce electricity. When the sun goes behind the clouds Solar farms literally plummet in their output. Where does grid stability come from? If we have to be running extra gas plants as auxiliary services (its called spinning reserve) to make up for this are we really saving that much? There are stories that the amount of energy and pollution required to make the concrete involved in mounting a single wind turbine. Fake news? Something to worried about thats never discussed?

And worse is, we don't even talk about Methane which apparently causes many folds more problems than Co2 and its released from Plastic, and not just while manufacturing or while getting rid of it, its also released under presence of sunlight or sufficient environmental factors to trigger it.

Plastic is used in everything, I mean really everything. I think on global level we are getting bit off the road in this debate, we need lot of concrete scientific research and some serious upgrade in standards. Right now fight is just limited to names that are floating in media and worse its looking like marketing gimmick more than anything else. *cough* organic products *cough* are good examples of good fight and valid concerns going in wrong direction.

LastDino 

And worse is, we don't even talk about Methane which apparently causes many folds more problems than Co2 and its released from Plastic, and not just while manufacturing or while getting rid of it, its also released under presence of sunlight or sufficient environmental factors to trigger it.

I know nothing about the effect of methane but I do know that we allow a lot of it directly into the air at drilling wells. The NG storage leak in California last year released a massive amount.

@artmaan I'll take a look. Moore normally makes some interesting points unfortunately he does it in a completely one sided and biased way.

SMCJB 

I know nothing about the effect of methane but I do know that we allow a lot of it directly into the air at drilling wells. The NG storage leak in California last year released a massive amount. @artmaan I'll take a look. Moore normally makes some interesting points unfortunately he does it in a completely one sided and biased way.

Okay, here is just quick read.
https://earther.gizmodo.com/great-scientists-have-discovered-plastic-emits-methane-1828034218

Some studies in 2018 indicated that it has almost 25 times more effect than CO2 over 100 years. Although current contribution of Methane is fraction of total.

https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/overview-greenhouse-gases

But if we don't start acting on it now and forget to deal with along with CO2 while going green mission we might not be dealing with whole problem. Like you said, people only think electric is better than carbon fuel but often ignore cost it may have on environment otherwise.

This is why, when we talk about alternatives we need to consider everything, and this is the right time to do it. Not just replace one pollutant with other and go the "organic movement way", which ended up just as marketing thing to charge more $.

Methane - a description on German Wiki:

"Methane is one of the greenhouse gases that absorb radiation in the atmosphere and warm the air. Methane is the second most important man-made greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. If you look at a single molecule of methane, it even has a greenhouse effect 25 times stronger than a molecule of carbon dioxide."

This is an important issue to halt global warming.

GFIs1

Corona responsible for historical shrinking of CO2 emissions

"According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the economic slump resulting from the coronavirus pandemic is leading to the largest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions ever seen. According to the agency, CO2 emissions are expected to fall by eight percent in 2020, and global energy demand by six percent. Even during the economic slump caused by the financial crisis in 2009, the decline was not as large in absolute terms.
Given the number of deaths and economic trauma around the world, the historic decline in global emissions is absolutely no cause for celebration," said IAE Executive Director Fatih Birol. He called on governments around the world to focus post-pandemic reconstruction on cleaner energy."

From an article in German The Spiegel of today (translated)

GFIs1

GFIs1 

Corona responsible for historical shrinking of CO2 emissions "According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the economic slump resulting from the coronavirus pandemic is leading to the largest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions ever seen. According to the agency, CO2 emissions are expected to fall by eight percent in 2020, and global energy demand by six percent. Even during the economic slump caused by the financial crisis in 2009, the decline was not as large in absolute terms. Given the number of deaths and economic trauma around the world, the historic decline in global emissions is absolutely no cause for celebration," said IAE Executive Director Fatih Birol. He called on governments around the world to focus post-pandemic reconstruction on cleaner energy." From an article in German The Spiegel of today (translated) GFIs1

So does this mean that 2020 should break the recent trend of breaking the warmest year on record?