The world’s youth and future generations are depending on us to save the planet: By Julie Peller, Ph.D.

Green Junction

Experts agree that tackling climate change requires a mix of solutions. In addition to transitioning away from burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, gas), scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other labs/organizations explain the need to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide. They compiled a list of the actions that need to be taken in the report called Roa” (Roads2Removal.org). “Is a first-of-its-kind national-scale analysis, outlining pathways for carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal to help the United States reach its climate goals.”

The report highlights four types of actions required to reduce and remove carbon dioxide. One is reforestation (planting trees!) and forest management. A second category involves practices that enhance soil organic carbon, such as cover cropping, perennial field borders, and perennial carbon crops. Another component is capturing and storing CO₂, also known as direct air capture, DAC, which has the potential to remove billions of tons of CO₂. However, DAC requires significant energy from renewable resources.

The CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere reported on the NASA website from this past February was 429 ppm, compared to the 2020 February measurement of 414 ppm. The atmospheric CO2 concentration in 1960 was 317 ppm. We are fortunate to have technologies that reduce carbon dioxide emissions and other methods that remove it from the atmosphere. The think tank Ember reported that this past month (March) was the first time renewable energy surpassed natural gas use, and that more than half of US electricity was generated by renewables and nuclear energy. Most energy companies now offer customers the option to obtain electricity from clean, renewable energy sources.

Well-informed, responsible government decisions and incentives expedite the transition away from fossil fuels to clean energy technologies and support programs to remove carbon dioxide. The world’s youth and future generations are depending on responsible decisions and plans today to limit further rises in global temperatures and dependence on fossil fuels, which terrorize the world in numerous ways.

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column, The Green Junction, for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.