@ green | September-October . 2024

Coldplay - entertainers and environmentalists

So , where are the hold-ups ?

FUNDAMENTALS

Let ’ s start with the fundamentals . It is undeniable that the climate has been changing and is continuously changing . This is a fact of environmental science . There are , however , differences in the opinions as to the root cause of these changes and the accuracy of the projections that forecast where the climate of the planet is heading , as predicted by the computerised climate models that have been constructed . There is also much debate about the degree of damage caused by carbon dioxide ( CO2 ) emissions and other elements caused by human inhabitation of Earth .

Reputable institutions have calculated that since the start of the Industrial Revolution , i . e . from 1850 to 2019 , anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere have amounted to about 2.4 gigatons of CO2 . About 950 megatonnes have found their way into the

Greater Reliance on Fossil Fuels as an Energy Source

Continuous Human Progress , Economic Growth & Industrialization

Increased CO2 Emissions into Atmosphere

THOTSPOT

BY DR KENNETH PEREIRA

Dr Kenneth Pereira is the Founder and Managing Director of Hibiscus Petroleum

Figure 1 : The Widely Accepted Model of Primary Factors Driving Anthropogenic Climate Change .

Coldplay divides their holistic sustainability initiatives into 12 parts during the Spheres World Tour .

atmosphere . Our oceans and the land have absorbed the remaining volume . The “ greenhouse or global warming effect ” is now widely attributed to the presence of CO2 ( and other greenhouse gases ( GHGs ) like water vapour , methane , ozone and nitrous oxide ) in the atmosphere .

The current level of CO2 in the atmosphere is measured to be about 420 ppm , up by about 50 per cent since the start of the Industrial Revolution . It is undeniable that the driver of the Industrial Revolution was mechanisation , made possible by the invention of the steam engine , a prime mover reliant on a carbon-based fossil fuel ( initially , mainly coal ) energy source . The more humankind industrialised , and as our reliance on carbon-based fuels grew , and with the increase in the emissions of carbon into the atmosphere , the greater the extent of global warming . The biggest debates cover the accuracy of computer predictions and the extent to which temperatures will rise .

Thus goes the inter-twined elements of the climate change saga .

As late as the 1930s , it was believed that the more CO2 that was emitted into the atmosphere , the more likely we would be able to delay a threatening and impending Ice Age . Today , a century later , it is believed that this early paradigm was flawed and instead , the fast-increasing level of anthropogenic CO2 is the primary cause of global warming . This planetary state is feared and undesired .

To put the brakes on the runaway train of global warming , the world supported the Paris Agreement , which was executed in 2015 . Aggressive carbon reduction targets ( requiring an expensive migration from a carbon-based energy supply system to renewable energy infrastructure ) are now being pursued .

The Paris Agreement has set explicit targets . The global response to the threat of climate change was to keep the temperature rise this century to well below 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius .

THE ISSUES

If there is a sincere global attempt to achieve these targets , then only a certain amount of GHGs can be emitted going forward . This is the so-called “ Carbon Budget ”. The question then becomes , who gets to emit and who does not get to release the permitted remaining molecules into the atmosphere ? It is a controversial issue as the proposed “ carbon budgets ” do not provide much realistic scope for daily human life to continue in a “ normal fashion ” in developed nations . In emerging economies , people would broadly be stranded in a condition of energy depravity .

If the planet is in a state of an acute climate emergency and CO2 emissions must be curtailed , then which are the priority activities that are essential and must be allowed to be pursued at the expense of damage to the environment ? Which are those less critical activities ? Is the common denominator economics , social balance or long-term care for the environment ? How do the promoters of entertainment or sporting events ( for example , pop concerts and sports leagues quickly come to mind ) morally justify the application of the finite and the precious remaining carbon budget on non-essential or less productive activities ? These are the issues .

REINVENTING CLIMATE- DAMAGING ACTIVITIES

In my last column , I wrote about the 2024 Paris Olympics , also branded as the “ Green Olympics ”. This was a largescale event that was celebrated very much with emissions management in mind . Indeed , even the Olympic torch , traditionally topped by a live flame of fire , was , on this occasion , electrified !

For a pop band playing live music , developing connections with its fanbase is critical . However , the question facing pop bands currently is how these events , particularly on a large scale , may be conducted in an environmentally sustainable manner .

COLDPLAY

Probably the most determined efforts in the entertainment industry towards the curtailment of emissions originate