HS Environment “It’s not about hope, it’s about action” – These themes are on the table when it comes to how emissions should be reduced on Monday

Global warming-related emissions have not been reduced, even though the climate crisis is already visible around the world. In Finland, not only the future of energy production but also emissions from agriculture and food production play a major role.

Climate change restraint is in a hurry. The report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which will be published on Monday, says what measures need to be put in place right now.

HS asked the experts what kind of themes the report will be published in. What kind of needs are emerging in mitigating climate change globally? What about Finland?

Already in a report released in February, the IPCC noted that the time window for the repair shop is closing.

Read more: IPCC report sends alarm message about climate crisis: Time window for repair is closing – humanity’s current way of life is under threat

According to Hannele Korhonen, a research professor at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, the pace of emission reductions must be significantly tightened in order to curb climate change.

The climate is warming at even double the target

Mitigating climate change requires a new impetus to global emission reductions, as greenhouse gas emissions have not started to decline, says research professor Hannele Korhonen From the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

“The pace needs to be tightened,” says Korhonen, who is also a member of the Finnish Climate Panel.

Based on the commitments made by the countries, the target set in the Paris Climate Agreement for 2015 to halt global warming by the end of the century is far from close.

“Based on current measures, the warming is 2.5–3 degrees,” says Korhonen.

According to him, net zero emissions will be needed by the middle of the century to keep the temperature rise at 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial times.

“Still, rising sea levels and melting glaciers will continue for hundreds or thousands of years,” says Korhonen.

Due to the corona pandemic, emissions decreased in 2020, but they have returned to their former levels. The use of fossil coal, oil and natural gas has increased.

“In the longer term, it is positive that the prices of low-emission technologies, including solar and wind energy, have fallen. However, human consumption has increased, which has eaten into good development, ”says Korhonen.

Emissions must be brought down in all sectors, not only in energy production but also in land use, industry and transport.

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“Structures need to change in both energy and food production to get rid of fossil energy and other greenhouse gas emissions,” says Korhonen.

Ukraine’s war and dependence on Russian oil and gas have increased pressure to break free from fossil fuels.

According to Korhonen, progress has been made in, among other things, industrial innovations and the energy efficiency of construction. In transport, electrification and biofuels have developed rapidly, and hydrogen is also coming.

Emission reductions alone are no longer enough.

“The removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is reflected in all reports. For the time being, only afforestation and the sequestration of carbon in the soil are cost-effective means, ”says Korhonen.

According to Kaisa Kosonen, an energy and climate expert at Greenpeace, it is realistic to expect that change for the better is accelerating.

Solutions exist, they just should be implemented

“We are facing a unique situation. The challenges are bigger than ever and more serious than we could have imagined, ”says Greenpeace, an energy and climate expert at the environmental organization Kaisa Kosonen.

Recent measurements from the polar regions and the rate of melting of glaciers as well as the state of ecosystems are harsh. Even limiting warming to 1.5 degrees, which is considered critical, may no longer be enough to save corals, an important fish barn in Asia, among other places.

Read more: 14 percent of the world’s coral reefs have died in ten years – Finnish researcher: “A terrible tragedy”

At the same time, solutions are available. They should just be introduced.

“Technological solutions to give up fossil energy exist and the economy does not prevent them from being implemented. Policies and decisions are essential. However, we are still too attached to the old one, ”says Kosonen.

“The interests of the fossil world are still in power.”

The end of the world Kosonen does not paint but calls for a bold approach to doing things.

“It’s not about whether there’s hope, it’s about whether there’s action,” the long-standing climate activist says.

“It’s realistic to expect the change for the better to accelerate.”

Kosonen got excited about the International Energy Agency last year IEA reportaccording to which renewable energies have become widespread and electric cars have broken sales records.

According to the IEA, wind and solar energy could generate up to 70% of the world’s electricity by 2050. That electricity will then replace fossil fuels in transportation, heating and industry.

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“Before such reports were made by Greenpeace. Now the industrialized countries’ own energy organization! ” Kosonen reminds.

In March, the IEA released a list of ten items to reduce the use of oil quickly. The range of options includes lowering speed limits, teleworking, commuting, car-free days and electric cars.

Finland could look like a model.

“The Nordic countries are at the forefront of well-being and technical know-how in many respects. If we succeed in showing that the welfare state can be implemented in a climate-friendly way without increasing the loss of nature, the impact will be big, ”Kosonen challenges.

According to him, the responsibility lies above all with political actions and social decision-makers. This also applies to lifestyle choices.

“With regard to vegetarian food, for example, there is no point in leaving the matter to individuals when it comes to change that is needed in society as a whole. Quite in the light of science, ”Kosonen reflects.

“Finland should not wait to see what others do.”

Read more: Becoming vegan is as effective a climate act as replacing a car with a public one – Test HS in a climate game that really matters

Luke’s research professor Kristiina Lång reminds that giving up peat fields is an opportunity for Finland when considering ways to curb climate change.

Less meat eating and peat fields as wetlands

Food production causes a significant part of climate emissions both globally and in Finland. The climate impact of animal production in particular is high. It causes methane emissions and requires a lot of arable land.

“Diet plays a big role in reducing emissions,” says the research professor Kristiina Lång From the Natural Resources Center (Luke).

Most of the emissions from agriculture come from the soil, either from peat fields as peat layers decompose, as the carbon stock of mineral lands dwindles, or through nitrogen fertilization.

Peat fields are a major source of emissions in Finland, in about the same category as passenger car traffic. They produce up to 60% of agricultural emissions, even though peat fields account for only 10% of the total arable land area.

Peatlands still have a lot of fields that are not in active food production. Still, they cause emissions. Peat contains a lot of carbon and nitrogen, which emits greenhouse gases when the drainage dries out the surface layer of the bog.

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“Peat fields have a huge potential that Finland should not miss when considering ways to curb climate change,” says Lång, who is also a member of the Finnish Climate Panel.

According to Lång, unproductive peatlands should be turned into wetlands.

Finn food production is largely based on animal production.

The production of products of animal origin requires a lot of arable land compared to products of plant origin. Almost 80% of the arable land is used for fodder production.

“Changing diets would therefore make it possible to reduce the climate impact, for example through afforestation.” Lång says.

Completed in 2019 Food name project calculated that vegan Finland could be fed on 0.5 million hectares of arable land, or about a quarter of the total arable land.

“This illustrates the importance of diet for field use,” says Lång.

The production of food of animal origin requires a lot of surface area. It covers a total of about two million hectares of arable land.

For the first time, the role of carbon stocks in fields in the climatic load of food and in reducing the climate impact of diet was examined in food names. This turned out to be great.

According to the study, a diet that produces climate benefits and at the same time meets nutritional recommendations requires a significant reduction in meat consumption and an increase in plant-based products.

At its best, the climate impact of a diet can be reduced by 40 percent.

Read more: The survey calculated which diet is the most ecological in Finland

The IPCC collects climate data to support decisions

  • The international, UN-led climate panel, the IPCC, gathers information on climate change and makes recommendations to support decision-making. Thus, the recommendations also affect ordinary consumers.

  • The IPCC reports are the most watched climate releases in the world. They are used as a basis for international climate negotiations.

  • The IPCC does not conduct the research itself, but analyzes and compiles existing information. Thousands of scientific publications are used as sources for the reports.

Read more: IPCC report sends alarm message about climate crisis: Time window for repair is closing – humanity’s current way of life is under threat

Read more: “Water scarcity is the biggest risk to humanity,” says Petteri Taalas of the World Meteorological Organization

Read more: IPCC report: Finland faces winter floods and extinctions – Climate targets cannot be canceled due to Ukraine’s war, says Minister Emma Kari

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