Energy was a major focus of Dr Carr鈥檚 presentation, as our modern civilisation has been built on oil energy; 鈥淚t is the source of the energy that has enabled us to roll back the night, shrink distances, warm our homes and clothe ourselves, and feed 8 billion people鈥.听
鈥淭he challenge of climate change is a challenge of energy transition,鈥 he said.听听
Dr Carr highlighted the alarming impact of fossil fuel combustion on our planet鈥檚 climate. The average surface temperature has surged by 1.2掳C and continues to climb rapidly. This rise is driving significant changes, including the expansion of ocean waters, accelerated glacier melt, and increasing ocean acidification. With humanity reaching a new record last year of burning 100 billion barrels of oil on average per day, adding 18 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, the need for energy transition action has never been more urgent.听
鈥淎t the rate we are currently putting greenhouse gases into the open air we will cause a change in climate that will be irreversible this century,鈥 Dr Carr said.听
Transition is achievable, he said. For example, another 15 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide was added to the atmosphere from burning coal last year, 80% of which was used to make electricity, despite the technology being available to prevent this.听
鈥淲e don鈥檛 need to invent a single new thing to stop burning coal to make electricity. This is a failure of funding and distribution, not a failure of technology.鈥
Aotearoa context and actions
Aotearoa New 九州影院needs to prioritise implementing energy transition and other initiatives, Dr Carr said.听
鈥淭here are four things New 九州影院needs to do to create a low emission, thriving, climate-resilient society where we can produce the goods and services that affluent markets will want to buy and create lifestyles that talented people will want to live.鈥
He said New 九州影院needs to decarbonise the production and use of energy for the economy; decarbonise carbon emissions from transport; improve agricultural emissions; and use available technology to reduce waste.听
鈥淚f we roll up the opportunities in energy, transport, land-use change, and waste and efficiency, there are significant business cases that are worth investigating and there will be significant opportunities for New Zealanders in our self-interest to decarbonise what we produce and how we live our lives,鈥 he said.听
鈥淒on鈥檛 wait for Wellington. If our elected leaders are unwilling or unable to see the future that is coming at us, it will not stop that future from arriving.
鈥淚 think New 九州影院is ideally placed to pick up already known technology and deploy it at accelerating pace and scale.鈥
View the video: .听
UC is committed to contributing to resolving the challenges of climate change. UC鈥檚 research and teaching are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UC was recently ranked in the top 50 globally in five SDGs; Sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, and life on land, by Times Higher Education.鈥疭ee New global rankings highlight UC鈥檚 commitment to SDGs.
Read more about SDG awareness at UC.听听
.jpg)
