Climate Change. Microsoft plans to go carbon negative

Climate Change is something we should all talk about. Yesterday, Tech Giant Microsoft made a bold announced their plan to not just reduce its carbon emissions, but to actively remove carbon from the atmosphere by going “carbon negative” by 2030. And by 2050, it pledges it will “remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted either directly or by electrical consumption since it was founded in 1975.” This is unprecedented. As we reach a verge of mass extinction due to Climate Change and Global warming, bold steps are needed. And this for sure was a big one. Apart from the direct impact it has on the planet’s health, it will also cause a stir in the industry for more big companies to follow suit.

We all know by now that we have a massive Climate Change problem. Since 1700s, we have released more than 2 trillion metric tons of greenhouse gas. Check below if you want to see real time how much of the world’s carbon budget have we spent. Its Alarming!

2000 Years – Thats how its takes a single carbon molecule that we produce to dissipate. The carbon molecules hangs around in our atmosphere for 2000 years.

2 Trillion – Metric Tonn has been emmitted since 1750s when first steam engine invented. Those carbon molecules are still hanging around atmosphere.

50 Billion – Metric Ton of Green house gases are emmited by Humanity every year.

How Did Climate Change Start?

It all started when we unknowingly changed the environmental balance during industrial revolution. When human society began to industrialize, we started to change the chemistry of the atmosphere by adding more CO2 to the air. Greenhouse gases began warming the world’s oceans in the early 1800s.

Climate Change Trends

We are the inheritors of remarkable waves of technological change trains and cars and planes and rockets, telephones and digital world, revolution in medical science and bio-technology. Only now we are realizing the true costs of it all. We inherited the environmental debt with it

We have also changed our natural environment to such an extent that many scientists feel compelled to redefine the current period as a different era than our father’s and grandfather.

Today, our day to day activity involves unsustainable exploitation of fossil fuels and other forms of natural capital, that we are struggling to part with, knowing the decisive and unmistakable impact on the planet.

The aggressive exploitation of fossil fuels and other natural resources has damaged the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the land we inhabit.

Over the course of a relatively short time, CO2, has increased by 40%, and now exceeds the highest levels in at least the last million years.

Source: Boden, T.A., Marland, G., and Andres, R.J. (2017). Global, Regional, and National Fossil-Fuel CO2Emissions. Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy, Oak Ridge, Tenn., U.S.A. doi 10.3334/CDIAC/00001_V2017.

Contributor of Climate Change

There are three main categories of Carbon emmission.

Direct Emission

As the name suggests, its the direct emission of Co2 into the environment. For example Exhaust from your car or the flight you took.

Indirect Emission

We are indirectly contributing to Greenhouse gar emission because of our need for energy. For example, electricity and heating

Indirect Value Chain Emission

This is the type of emission you cause by being a part of the Value chain. It includes emission that occurred to produce your food, shelter and clothes (and excess) y the factories that burned fossil fuels to fulfill our demands.

Only 14% of Carbon emission cones from Direct emission and 25% comes from indirect emission.

Given the broad range of of activities covered by the third Category, Indirect Value Chain Emission is the biggest contributor today releasing greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. Unfortunately, the fact is our individual consumption added up to that 61%

Why is it important to reduce our carbon emission?

Carbon dioxide is a major driver of the natural climate and of our ecosystems, making possible life on Earth. The problem we now face is that fossil fuel combustion and deforestation have significantly altered the carbon balance of the atmosphere and the biosphere. Fossil fuel exploitation has also taken a huge toll on human wellbeing and people are already dying because of it. Extinction is just a matter of time. The air pollution caused by the unsustainable consumption of natural resources causes about 7 million premature deaths each year. It also causes annual destruction of over 100 million tons of wheat, rice and other crops. Natural disaster If we want to avoid the worst aspect of rapidly changing climate, we need to reduce our carbon emission to net 0 by 2050. Its not that far.

Australian Bush Fire and other outcomes of Climate change

Australian bush fire is the most recent example of how rising temperature have possibility to cause massive damage.

UK researchers have carried out a rapid analysis of the impact of climate change on the risk of wildfires happening all over the world. Their study looked at 57 research papers published since the last major review of climate science came out in 2013.

All 57 papers reviewed clearly show human-induced warming has already led to a global increase in the frequency and severity of fire weather, increasing the risks of wildfire.

And its not just Australia rising water level and increasing temperature have caused mass destruction everywhere.

How can we help fight climate change?

We need innovation and bold steps to fight the battle against climate change and an individual level and at large.

When companies like Microsoft take such major step to not just cut back on the emission and bring it to zero but also remove all the carbon the company has released either directly or indirectly since it started. This is a trailblazer move and iterates how critical it is to Act now and act big.

And that’s Step number 1 on how to fight climate chage

1. Unite for bold climate action

Work with your local authorities and Climate change agencies to make bold changes that require stronger commitments. This is not the time to hesitate.

Get politically active and vote.
Support or join youth-led movements and pressurize big corporation to reduce their carbon emission.
Start a climate conversation with friends and family

2. Use energy wisely

Be mindful for of your energy consumption and make it a necessity not a luxury to have.

Transition to renewables wherever possible
Turn off the lights and turn down the heat

[Full list of how to be energy efficient is coming soon. Visit our website to get the newsletter]

3. Eat for a climate-stable planet

The food we eat have direct impact to the environment. By eating 1 kg of lamb, we are emitting approximately 40 kg Co2e compare that with 0.41 kg of Co2 that an average car today emits per mile driven. [Source]

Here are four simple ways you can make your diet more climate-friendly.

Eat more meat-free meals
Buy organic and local whenever possible
Don’t waste food
Grow your own

4. Green your commute

This is probably the easiest one to achieve. Reduce you consumption of gas and diesel.

Cycle or walk wherever you can
Allow time to take bus or train instead of flights
Carpool with friends and colleagues

5. Consume less, waste less, enjoy life more

This intense consumerism and desire to buy more, have more has got to stop.

We have to change our attitude to want better, not more.

Buy less and get more utility from what you already have.
Buy organic and biodegradable products.
Invest in reusable and sustainable items
Gather experiences and not things.

6. Support or join youth-led movements

Young people have the most at stake when it comes to climate change. Their futures are on the line if we can’t meet the 1.5 C cap on global warming. All over the world, kids, teenagers and young adults are taking matters into their own hands in inspiring ways. Help them grow their movement by joining and supporting them however you can. Find a group in your home community and ask how you can help.

What is the future of Climate change?

The global average temperature is expected to increase by about 0.2°C per decade over the next two decades. Continuing greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause a further increase in global temperatures and many other climatic changes during the 21st century. Global average sea level is expected to rise by 18 to 59 cm by the end of the 21st century. Warming is expected to be greatest over land and at high northern latitudes and smallest over the Southern Ocean and parts of the North Atlantic Ocean. Other projected changes include acidification of the oceans, reduced snow cover and sea ice, more frequent heat waves and heavy precipitation, more intense tropical cyclones, and slower oceanic currents. Warming and sea level rise caused by human activities will continue for centuries, even if greenhouse gas concentrations were to be stabilized. If warming persists over many centuries, it could lead to a complete melting of the Greenland Ice sheet, increasing global sea levels by about 7m.

Act Now against Climate change!

Reducing our carbon footprint has been more important than ever. And all of us have a part to play in this rapid global warming and growing extinction rate. Some more and some less. But every single one of us have to reassess our consumption and reduce our carbon footprint. Now is the time. The technological powers we have achieved during the last two centuries has brought us to a crossroads. This is the time to use them for our benefit and the benefit of the planet. We have to reassess what is “important” now. Its not longer the Money, its not longer exponential economic growth or accumulation of things. Its very basic, it’s life. We should be on a survival mode now and coz we are in the verge of mass extiction if we dont act now and big!

Thanks for reading about Climate change!

Comment below your thoughts on the topic. What suggestions do you have for minimize carbon footprint?

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What is climate change? Microsoft going carbon negative by 2030.