The Climate & Us

By Tristan Best

The 21st Century brings hope. Humans have developed for the better in the last hundred years, learning about the damage we are leaving behind.

We now know that our cars, lifestyle and leisure are damaging the ozone layer. Cattle like pigs, cows and sheep contribute an alarming amount of Co2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming, and Co2 in our atmosphere is at its highest in 2 million years. Did you know that the last decade was the hottest decade in the last 125,000 years? Due to this, we are now losing 1.2 trillion tons of ice a year, and we are certain we have caused this. Did you know that the ocean absorbs most of the heat we produce? A study in 2019 discovered that the ocean had sucked up 90% of the heat gained from the planet between 1971 and 2010, and another found that it had absorbed the equivalent of two Hiroshima bombs per second or 20 sextillion joules of heat in 2020 alone. The ocean has tremendous volume and heat-storage capacity, which is why some organisms are used to temperatures being quite stable. Of these, coral reefs are particularly sensitive to temperature levels, which is why many are dying off now (unfortunately) As a sovereign state, the UK doesn’t contribute anywhere as much Co2 emissions as China, the USA and India – but this is more than likely due to the size differences, and the way the manufacturing industry works. Greenhouse gas emissions by China are the largest of any country in the world, both in production and consumption terms, and stem mainly from coal burning, including coal-fired power stations, coal mining, and blast furnaces producing iron and steel. When measuring production-based emissions, China emitted over 14 gigatonnes (Gt) CO2eq of greenhouse gases in 2019 – 27% of the world total. When measured in consumption-based terms, which adds emissions associated with imported goods and extracts those associated with exported goods, China accounts for over 27% of global emissions. Despite having the largest emissions in the world, China’s large population means its per-person emissions have remained considerably lower than those in the developed world. This corresponds to over 10.1 tonnes CO2eq emitted per person each year, slightly over the world average and the EU average but significantly lower than the second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the United States, with its 17.6 tonnes per person. In consumption terms, China emits slightly less, with over 6 tonnes in 2016, slightly above the world average, but less than the EU average (close to 8 tonnes) and less than the United States by more than a half, with close to 18 tonnes per person. Accounting for historic emissions, OECD countries produced four times more CO2 in cumulative emissions than China, due to developed countries’ early start in industrialization. But what can we do, here in Derby, to make a change? The world’s damaged and we don’t need to further destroy our only habitat. We cannot live in space. So from reading this, aim to save water, energy and food. As all is contributing as we speak. In Derbyshire, we are blessed with some of the most beautiful views in the country, whether you’re looking over the Peak district or even looking over the fields around Kedleston Hall. Love what we have before it’s lost.