Our world’s current state is dire. Various countries face different problems, one of them being the pandemic and the economic disasters that pursue it. However, if there is one thing that we all collectively are concerned about, it’s climate change.
Climate change threatens the way we live our lives and our very survival. Current reports have shown that temperatures have increased by 0.14 every decade since 1880. This is a severe increase and one that has devastating implications if it continues to happen.
The main reason for this is the increased greenhouse gases in the air. Last year, a surge of greenhouse gases occurred, an event called by many experts as the ‘pandemic rebound.’ We had a 4.9% increase in greenhouse gases compared to 2020, and it continues to increase this year.
Thankfully, we are finding new ways to combat climate change through science. One of the growing solutions is through direct air capture systems.
Direct Air Capture
Direct air capture systems are one of the newest ways to combat climate change. Essentially, direct air capture systems aim to reduce greenhouse gases in the air by capturing them and storing them underground. It’s a pretty effective solution, but one that requires a lot of dedication from various governments and businesses worldwide.
Currently, we are still experimenting with the idea. We have only 19 direct air capture plants worldwide, and one of the recently made built plants was built by Climeworks in Iceland. The plant is utilizing green energy to do its daily operations. It has no carbon footprint whatsoever. It’s estimated to capture about 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide every year. It’s not a lot considering that we’re pumping more than a billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, but it’s a small step in the right direction.
Experts believe that as we continue to research more into practical ways to capture carbon dioxide in the air directly, we can build more efficiently direct air capture plants that can suck greenhouse gases from our atmosphere.
Solar Energy
Solar energy is slowly becoming the favored source of power among many Americans. Currently, solar energy usage is only 2% of the overall population, but our country can do more. We now have enough solar power to provide energy to over 16 million homes, and as solar energy becomes more known to people in the country, more people will utilize it.
The main reason it’s becoming a favored source of energy in the US is that it’s becoming cheaper. It is now cheaper than fossil fuels for energy production per capita. Improvements in science and technology make solar panels more affordable and easier to produce. Moreover, solar panels today can now store more energy for daily use than before.
Hydrogen and Electric Vehicles
Another tremendous significant shift that’s good for the environment is the existence of hydrogen and electric cars.
Vehicle usage contributes about a billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere every year. This continues to increase as more people purchase vehicles from dealers. However, because of the Biden administration’s plan to ensure that 50% of vehicle sales will come from electric cars by 2030, the tons of greenhouse gases that vehicles contribute to climate change will be cut down drastically.
Electric vehicles are known to produce fewer carbon emissions when compared to other cars. To be exact, electric cars have 43% fewer carbon emissions when compared to traditional vehicles. Hydrogen vehicles produce a lot less than that.
Eco-Friendly Businesses
Lastly, we have to talk about eco-friendly businesses or businesses that are helping the overall state of our planet. Each business has its purpose and helps the environment in its own right. For example, a tree service business can ensure that trees can continue to reduce greenhouse gas in the air. Another example is that bicycle sellers can ensure that commuters don’t use as much greenhouse gas.
There are also businesses that value sustainability. Some restaurants have learned to grow their crops using compost, while others have learned to recycle their plastics. All of these can gradually decrease the carbon footprint produced by businesses worldwide.
The Bottomline
Our world is suffering from climate change, but we are slowly fighting back. We are fighting back through the use of direct air capture systems and solar energy. We can remove millions of carbon dioxide from the air through this combination. If we add on the use of electric and hydrogen vehicles and sustainable businesses, we might solve the problem of climate change entirely. Remember that if we don’t start to make a difference today, then there’s nothing left we can do tomorrow.
