Which is more detrimental to climate change: Fossil Fuels or Food Production?
In a call for action, Pope Francis has underscored the urgent need to substitute fossil fuels with sustainable energy, ensuring that this transition is accessible to everyone, including the world's poorest communities. This sentiment is echoed by Brazil's Environment Minister, Marina Silva, who has proposed a roadmap to end the use of fossil fuels.
The burning of fossil fuels, it is widely accepted, is the primary driver of climate change. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), this activity changes the climate more than any other human activity and is the primary driver of climate change. Fossil fuels account for about 90% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions, and they contribute more than 75% to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The EPA's 2009 Endangerment Finding, based on extensive scientific evidence, concluded that heat-trapping emissions from burning fossil fuels pose a threat to human health and welfare and are driving climate change. In the United States, most human-caused greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels, accounting for about 74% of emissions.
The energy sector, worldwide, produces the most greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 75.7% of the total. Agriculture contributes about 20% to 30% to climate change. Notably, Harvard University aims to be fossil-fuel free by 2050, recognising fossil fuels as the primary driver of climate change. Similarly, the University of Cambridge plans to divest its $4.5 billion endowment from fossil fuels and aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its investment portfolio.
The transition away from fossil fuels is not just a responsibility of the wealthy nations. Richer countries must help poorer countries to make this shift or leapfrog to cleaner sources of energy. This is crucial, as in 2018, more than 8 million people died from fossil fuel pollution, according to research from Harvard University.
Insurance companies have also become significant financiers of fossil fuels, contributing to the primary cause of climate change. Despite this, maximising energy efficiency is a key building block of the energy shift, as emphasised by the Pope.
Recent proposals by the EPA have attempted to downplay the significance of fossil fuel-fired power plants' contribution to emissions, but these moves are widely criticised as contradicting established science and undermining efforts to mitigate emissions from the fossil fuel sector—the largest source of greenhouse gases.
In conclusion, the global shift away from fossil fuels is an urgent imperative. Fossil fuel combustion, more than any other human activity, drives climate change through greenhouse gas emissions, heavily outweighing other sectors or sources in its climate impact. The transition to sustainable energy sources is not only necessary for the health of our planet but also for the survival of its inhabitants.
- Pope Francis and Brazil's Environment Minister, Marina Silva, are advocating for the replacement of fossil fuels with sustainable energy, emphasizing accessibility for all, including the world's poorest communities.
- The burning of fossil fuels is the primary driver of climate change, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), contributing more than 75% to global greenhouse gas emissions.
- In the United States, most human-caused greenhouse gas emissions come from burning fossil fuels, accounting for about 74% of emissions.
- The energy sector produces the most greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 75.7% of the total, with agriculture contributing about 20% to 30% to climate change.
- Insurance companies have become significant financiers of fossil fuels, contributing to the primary cause of climate change, yet energy efficiency is a crucial building block in the energy shift, as pointed out by the Pope.
- Recent proposals by the EPA have sparked criticism for downplaying the significance of fossil fuel-fired power plants' contribution to emissions, contradicting established science and undermining efforts to mitigate emissions from the fossil fuel sector—the largest source of greenhouse gases.
- The global transition away from fossil fuels is an urgent imperative, not just a responsibility of wealthy nations, for the health of our planet and the survival of its inhabitants, with renewable energy and energy efficiency being key solutions in the fight against climate change.
