It is not feasible to stop using fossil fuels and extraction. Even today, the global economy, human health and livelihoods depend heavily on oil, coal and gas. With the passage of time, we need to displace fossil fuels with low-carbon renewable energy sources.
The first preference must be to switch to renewable energy, not just for electricity but also for heating, cooling and transport fuels. Although, it will be harder to substitute fossils fuels used for chemical processing, such as the manufacture of plastics or fertilizer, it is technically possible with biomass (organic material from plants and animals). After all, the hydrocarbons in coal, oil and gas originally derived from biomass millions of years ago.
The aim of governments and locals should be to encourage the reduction of fossil and support renewable energy systems.
Increasing contribution from renewables
Currently, one issue is that global subsidies for fossil fuel extraction remain large, at around US$4.7 trillion per year according to the International Monetary Fund.
The International Energy Agency, in a recent global energy review, described a significant drop in energy demand from fossil fuels due to COVID-19 pandemic. It is likely to rise again, but in the meantime, the use of renewable electricity continues to increase and now has a 25% share of global electricity.
Countries with good renewable resources such as Pakistan, can reach a significantly higher share. Companies like Reon Energy are contributing at large scale in renewable energy and working with topnotch clients in Pakistan to boost the energy usage through renewable energy. On the other hand, New Zealand, for example, now produces around 85% of its total electricity from renewable sources (including hydro, wind, solar and geothermal) without government intervention. However, renewable energy contributes only 40% of all energy demands in New Zealand, and far less globally.
The costs and benefits of change
Despite many alternatives to fossil fuels with far lower carbon footprints, fossil fuels remain relatively cheap, because the cost of their pollution isn’t usually factored in, and energy dense (there is more energy contained in a lump of coal than a piece of wood of a similar size). One example is electricity generated by nuclear power plants.
But, displacement is not easy and will take time to allow those working in the fossil fuel industry to go through a “just transition” to work in other sectors.
Government intervention is often required for low-carbon options to increase their share in meeting total energy demands. But the challenge is changing people’s behavior around energy use than deploying new low-carbon technologies to provide the same energy services.
We have become a wasteful society, with consequences for the environment. Perhaps now is the time to make major adjustments to how we live before climate change impacts do it for us.