By Ater Yuot R. Amogpai
Human activities are responsible for causing
approximately 1.0 °C of global warming. Range of 0.8°C to 1.2°C global warming
is projected to reach 1.5°C between 2030 and 2050 if it continues to
increase at the current rate of 0.2°C per decade. At the moment, global
mean temperature is around 1.08 ±0.13 °C above the 1850 -1900 pre-industrial
average.
Atmospheric concentrations of the major
greenhouse gases (GHG), carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O),
continued to increase up to now. The rise in these gases leads to warming of
the atmosphere, ocean and land. Warming of the ocean leads in turn to rising
sea levels, which is added to by the melting of ice in response to increasing
atmospheric temperatures. On land, impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems,
including species loss and extinction.
The sources of CO2, CH4 and N2O emissions can
be either natural or human. Natural sources include respiration, decomposition
of plants, and ocean release. Human sources come from cement production,
deforestation, burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas), landfills,
and gricultural activities. In addition to, coal mining, stationary and mobile
combustion, wastewater treatment, land use, industrial activities, and solid
waste.
The main sectors contributing GHG emissions
in the globe are transportation, electricity, industry, commercial and
residential, agriculture, land use and forestry. However, developed countries typically have the
highest GHG emissions into the atmospheric, while some developing countries
lead in the growth rate of GHG emissions. These uneven contributions to the
climate crisis are at the core of the challenges the world community faces in
finding effective and equitable solutions to global
warming. GHG emissions are
normally resulting from the combustion of coal, natural gas, oil, and other
fuels, including industrial waste and non-renewable municipal waste. The United
States of America, Russia, China, India, and the United Kingdom (UK) are the
leading countries in the world for emitting GHG into the atmosphere.
South Sudan GHG emissions is the lowest
globally and dominated by land use, forestry and agriculture. GHG emissions
from these sectors are mainly driven by reliance on wood fuel by the majority
of the population coupled with the increasing demand for agricultural lands and
urban development. In urban areas including Juba, charcoal is the most used
energy source for cooking. Fuel wood and charcoal are used for cooking and
lighting and has led to a catastrophic loss of forest around big cities, Juba,
Malakal and Wau. In the energy sector, despite only 5% of the population having
access to the electricity, energy emissions are mainly from electric power
generation followed by transportation and crude oil production.
Any period of time before the start of the
industrial revolution could be a reference as the temperature decreases as we
go back in time. To do so, we change our diets to reduce meat consumption,
reducing food waste, driving less and using more public transportation, using
more efficient appliances and installing better insulation systems to depend
less on air conditioning in hot regions and heating in cold regions. In
recognition of this, the overwhelming majority of countries around the world
adopted the Paris Agreement in December 2015, the central aim of which includes
pursuing efforts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. The same
commitment affirmed by the COP26 in Glasgow, UK.
Benefits of limiting global warming to 1.5°C
can be summarized as follows:
-
Reduction risks to
marine biodiversity, fisheries, and ecosystems, and their functions and
services to humans
-
Reduction the number
of people susceptible to poverty by up to several hundred million by 2050
-
Resultant in smaller
net reductions in yields of maize, rice, wheat, and potentially other cereal
crops, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and
South America, and in the CO2-dependent nutritional quality of rice
and wheat.
Healing the planet starts in your garage, in
your kitchen, and at your dining room table. The goal is simple. CO2 and other
GHG are the climate’s worst enemies. They are released when oil, coal, and
other fossil fuels are burned for energy—the energy we use to power our homes,
cars, and smartphones. By using less of which, we can curb our own contribution
to climate change while also saving money. Here are some effective ways each
one of us can make a difference:
- Power your home with renewable energy
- Invest in energy-efficient appliances
- Reduce water waste
- Eat the food you buy and make less of it meat
- Buy better bulbs (LEDs)
- Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle (Electric Cars)
- Rethink planes, trains, and automobiles
Contribution to global warming can be roughly defined
as the economic development and prosperity of the nations. Developing countries
and emerging economies are in rapid growth to global warming while, developed
nations couldn’t yet determine the most effective ways to limit global warming
at 1.5°C.
South Sudan as one of the least developed countries is
vulnerable to global warming. Nevertheless, it has developed mechanisms
to regulate the exploitation of natural resources and land use to reduce
environmental degradation. Unfortunately, deforestation and forest degradation
areas around big cities are still being observed at an exponential
rate.
The responsibility is huge for the G7 and G20 to take us back
to the pre – industrial period 1850 – 1900 if they can. There is a very great
doubt that the G7 and G20 would agree on a mechanism on how to limit global
warming at 1.5°C. As a result, emerging economies countries continue to
increase in numbers – temperature continues to increase and climate crisis
causes our planet to die gradually.
Email: ater.amogpai@gmail.com
