Out of all the environmental threats to planet Earth, carbon emissions are one of the ones that people are most familiar with.  Everywhere we go, it seems like we’re always being instructed on ways to reduce our carbon footprint, whether that be through spending less time driving, taking it easy on the air conditioning, or eating less meat.  This is for good reason, too.  Scientists predict that staying at our current emissions levels will bring dire consequences to the environment by as soon as 2030.  This could include large-scale extinction of aquatic organisms and frequent flooding of coastal cities, caused by warmer water temperatures and rising sea levels.

Obviously, carbon emissions are a big problem because they fill the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, thus trapping heat inside and causing the global temperature to steadily increase.  Nearly everyone agrees that we need to cut down on these emissions to reduce the possibility of environmental disaster, but unfortunately this is not currently happening.  After holding steady for 2014 through 2016, carbon emissions rose in 2017 by 1.6 percent and then again in 2018 by a whopping 2.7 percent.

Fig. 1. Global Carbon Project. Carbon Dioxide Emissions.

This all comes in spite of the Paris Climate Agreement, which was signed in 2015 and currently has close to 200 participating countries.  The United States made news on this front when President Trump announced last year that America would be pulling out of this agreement.  Although the Paris Agreement does not include any rigid emissions limits, it represents a collective effort to lower carbon output worldwide.  By withdrawing from this agreement, the U.S. is essentially saying that we don’t care about reducing our country’s carbon footprint.  What’s concerning about this is that other countries may follow in our footsteps and discard the agreement as well.  The Paris Agreement has already had problems with countries not meeting their self-defined carbon goals, so many people believe this accord to be largely ineffective.

Whether or not the Paris Agreement is a waste of resources is up for debate.  But there’s no denying that we can’t survive on our current levels of carbon emissions.  We would have to cut our emissions levels nearly in half by 2030 to prevent the global temperature from rising by 1.5 degrees Celsius, the threshold where most scientists agree that we would start to see catastrophic environmental effects.  After this, we would have to be at “net zero” emissions by 2050, which would only be accomplished by planting trees to absorb carbon dioxide or implementing other ways to remove it from the atmosphere.  And remember, our emissions are currently rising.  At this point, it seems like it would take a miracle to save us from certain disaster.

Although hope may seem bleak, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t at least attempt to rectify our current situation.  Despite many regulations being rolled back, the EPA still has several guidelines that must be met by corporations.  They are even in the process of implementing the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule, a regulation that would improve the technology and efficiency of coal-fired power plants.  This action alone would reduce power sector emissions by 1 percent, which account for 28 percent of all nationwide emissions.  This may seem like a small number, but every little bit matters in this race against time.

Fig. 2. EPA. Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

I truly believe that the solution to this problem lies in the development of new technologies and clean energy sources like solar and wind.  Switching to wind power or manufacturing more fuel-efficient cars would have a great effect on the overall carbon emissions of our country.  However, I’m pessimistic about the willingness of companies to pursue these advances without some sort of outside pressure.  The reason is that undertaking these developments would be costly in the short run, and frankly, CEOs seem to be a lot more concerned about their bottom lines than the future of the environment.

This theme is common across the world, as economic pressure has forced a lot of countries to soften up on carbon regulations and forgo pursuing new technology.  For example, China, who’s emissions levels spiked in recent years, is currently in a recession and has had to ramp up industry to try to climb out of it.  Yang Fuqiang, an energy adviser to the U.S. Natural Resources Defense Council, said of China, “Under pressure of the current economic downturn, some local governments might have loosened supervision on air pollution and carbon emissions.”  Although China is currently in a bit of an emissions rough patch, they are still greatly dedicated toward having a more positive impact on the environment.  They’ve pledged to drop coal to 10 percent of their total energy consumption by 2050 (coal is currently at 60%) and are actually ahead of pace in dropping their carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP.

I understand that carbon emissions are a lot to comprehend, but I implore you not to take them lightly.  Unless drastic changes are made, I’m afraid that we’ll be in for a world of environmental hurt sometime in the near future.  But it’s not too late for you to make a difference.  Cut back on excessive use of electricity, consider driving a more fuel-efficient car, or choose to walk or bike places instead.  We may have a tall mountain to climb, but we can overcome this through a great effort from people all around the world just like you and me.