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The Climate Chap: Mummy, what’s a MtCO2e?

 

 

14 March, 2022

 

Rubbish bin-443By popular demand this article is all about the climate crisis numbers.

You’re probably by now aware that this climate crisis has been caused by us folks putting far too many nasty emissions into the atmosphere. Unless we can measure these emissions, it is just about impossible to calculate their damage, and how to effectively reduce them from now on.

Where to start? We produce numerous ‘greenhouse gasses’ (GHG) which is the posh phrase for my ‘nasty emissions’. They are generated mainly from using fossils fuels such as petrol, natural gas, coal… plus removing trees. The gas released is carbon dioxide (CO2). Our trees gobble up some of the CO2’s but most go into the atmosphere. A range of agricultural gasses dominated by methane (CH4) produced by livestock burping, combined with nitrous oxide (N2O) from fertilisers, are also released into the atmosphere. Trees don’t gobble these.

These gasses pack a considerably harder punch than CO2. Methane is 25 times more potent measured over 100 years, N2O 300 times, and nitrogen trifluoride a mere 17,200 times more powerful. You do not want many of those heading north!

Our overall quantity of nasty emissions is the sum of ‘long-lived gasses’ – CO2 from fossil fuels and nitrous oxide (N2O) agricultural emissions combined with the equivalent powerful but shorter-lived ‘biogenic emissions’ from methane and its pals.

Why is this important here in Aotearoa? Because we generate lots of both of them, and in similar proportions. Therefore, about 50 percent of our emissions are fossil fuel based, and the rest from methane and its buddies. The CO2 and N2O emissions stay up there for literally centuries, whereas the CH4 gasses are most destructive over 20 years but also linger for longer. We cannot do much about all the gasses that have headed skyward over previous generations, and therefore cannot reduce their negative impact and side effects such as higher temperatures, melting glaciers, increased droughts and flash floods. They are up there and will continue to cause huge problems.

The international unit of GHG measurement is a tonne of CO2e. How huge is a tonne of CO2? One thousand kilograms of the gas, equal to a cube measuring 8m x 8m x 8m – that’s the size of a tonne of CO2.

New Zealand contributes around 0.1 percent of the world’s emissions annually, about 80 MtCO2e, however over the past 150 years we have generated 1,700 MtCO2e’s, much of which is still contributing to today’s crisis. Of the developed nations we are ranked the 5th worst polluter. Not on the podium, but close. Since 1990 our emissions have risen by 65 percent, the UKs are down 44 percent.

So mummy, MtCO2e represents ‘a million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents’. Got it!

How many tonnes is the typical Kiwi, that’s you, responsible for each year? Probably around 14 tonnes. Of these, around eight come from fossil fuels, eight from agriculture, and less two courtesy of our lovely trees.

So, we all have a decent challenge over the coming decades. For example, our trees currently reduce the fossil fuel emissions by 14 percent. Trees need to gobble an extra 60 percent over the next 15 years. We need to plant plenty and soon. To feel a hint of success, if everyone in our ‘team of 5 million’ contributes equally we need to reduce our

personal emissions by at least six tonnes over the next 30 years to become net carbon neutral by 2050.

The great news is that we will get there if we all reduce our ‘carbon footprint’ annually by between 5 and 10 percent, starting now.

So, perhaps consider eating less meat and dairy products, plant a few trees, drive less, use less electricity, turn off your computer overnight, reduce flying around Aotearoa, recycle, consider installing a heat pump, try composting. Using Mangawhai’s public transport is a no-brainer (if we had any) and you’re there. Couldn’t be easier.

Seriously, in future articles we will explore the many ways that you can reduce your personal carbon footprint. Some will be very easy and inexpensive, some demanding and potentially costly. However, it will inevitably require you to change your behaviour and experience a different lifestyle.

 

Start lowering your carbon footprint by creating less waste, recycling, and composting.

Of the developed nations we are ranked the 5th worst polluter. Not on the podium, but close.​​​​​​​


 
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