How to Limit Global Average Temperature at 1.5 °C – Case South Sudan

 

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