By: Javier Eduardo Trillos Muñoz
Founding Partner FT Consultants SAS
javier.trillos@ftc.com.co
Climate Change and Colombia's Commitments
One of the most preponderant topics, from the environmental current point of view, is the climate change, taking into account the different world evidences that are being presented, such as:
- The average temperature in the last 50 years is almost double that of the last 100 years.
- The average global temperature increased by 0.74°C during the 20th century.
- The atmospheric concentration of CO2 has increased from 278 ppm to 397 ppm.
- The world's sea level has risen by 17 centimetres in the 20th century.
- The rise in sea level in the last decade is almost double that of the last century.
- The oceans show an increase of 0.302 degrees Fahrenheit since 1969.
- Glacier melt - The Greenland and Antarctic plates have decreased in mass.
- The acidity of the surface waters of the oceans has increased by 30%. This is the result of the absorption of atmospheric CO2 that has increased due to human emissions.
- Species extinction
- Emergence of new diseases
- Intensification of the climatic conditions (very strong summers and very marked rainy seasons)
It is therefore useful to explain what is meant by this phenomenon and what its causes are
Likewise, in order not to remain in the discussion about the seriousness of the consequences of this phenomenon, we will try to propose some actions that can be adopted from society, such as environmental policies that should be implemented in Colombia.
What is climate change?
Climate change is the significant and permanent modification in local or global weather patterns, which is caused by natural or anthropogenic effects.
Natural effects are understood as variations in the earth's energy cycles, such as volcanic eruptions, ocean circulation and biological processes, among others; and anthropogenic effects are understood as population growth, use of fossil fuels, indiscriminate burning, deforestation, change in land use, excessive consumption of natural resources (water, air, flora, fauna), among others
Challenges of society
What are the challenges we need to take up from a societal point of view?
The real contribution of society to controlling climate change is not only to be
The main problem is that it is easy to implement.
Here are some contributions that can be implemented:
- Generate environmental awareness in the new generations
- Reduce consumption of unnecessary products, as the generation of toxic waste has doubled in the last five years.
- Implementing energy efficiency mechanisms, today only one fifth of energy is generated by renewable sources.
- Implementing recycling and reuse programs, 90% of the waste generated is recyclable and only 10% is recycled.
- Innovation and technology.
Investment in renewable energies. - Challenges in Colombia
Colombia has taken on very important challenges to reduce the generation of greenhouse gases and has initiated the implementation of the following policies:
- Decrease in fossil fuel subsidies
- Definition of mitigation percentages by sector.
- Inclusion of climate change within the sectoral, territorial and development planning instrument.
- Generation of comprehensive climate change plans.
- Design of POTS and Development Plans focused on corporate environmental sustainability.
- Innovation and technology.
- Investment in renewable energies.
- Development of better agricultural practices.
- New development policies.
- Adaptation to temperature changes.
- Food security.
- Protection of forests and oceans.
Conclusions
This note aims to give a general overview of climate change, but also to send a message of optimism, since, if there is real awareness of this phenomenon, with simple personal behaviour that, when added together, generates a significant contribution to its mitigation.
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