Fighting global warming is like a business scam. Venus attacks

In atmosphere?

- Yes. After all, a significant part of this problem lies in the field of energy, and everyone needs energy: light, heat, transport, the production of any product requires energy, and we get energy in the process of burning fossil fuels, as a result of which greenhouse gases enter the atmosphere.

— Let's start with housing: people are not ready to give up comfort, they want to live in warm and bright houses, is it possible to somehow save energy?

Most of the energy in homes is spent on heating and hot water. Therefore, one of the simplest actions is to insulate windows, doors, make sure that the batteries work well and are not clogged. In old houses, you can see batteries that are located under the windowsills in recesses in the wall - so that behind the battery - thin wall through which most of the heat escapes. This problem can be solved by sticking a layer of material on the wall behind the battery, which consists of insulation and foil. This material is simple, cheap, and easy to find in stores.

For savings hot water you can take a shower instead of a bath. You need 200 liters of water for a bath, 40-50 for a shower, 60 for the biggest shower lovers, but certainly not 200. There are also water-saving shower heads. In our country they are known as massage and can give a thin and strong jet of water. At the same time, the shower feels strong, and less water is wasted.

use washing machine and dishwashers more economical than rinsing clothes or washing dishes under running water. Although, of course, if you, like an Englishman, plugged the sink with a cork, filled it with mild soapy water, washed the dishes, and only then poured clean water to rinse the dishes, then you will save more resources than a dishwasher. In any case, you must also monitor the consumption of detergents so as not to contaminate once again wastewater and with them rivers and seas.

One of the most famous ways to save electricity is to use energy saving light bulbs…

- Yes, but you need to take into account that now fluorescent energy-saving lamps have been given up, because they contain poisonous, and it was not possible to arrange their disposal. Therefore, all over the world are switching to the use LED lamps. So far, they are still expensive, but they consume almost 10 times less energy and last about 20 times longer than incandescent lamps, so they quickly pay for themselves.

To save energy, sensors are also very effective, which react to movement and turn on the light only when it is needed. They can be installed on stairs or in corridors. I know one five-story building where such sensors were installed on the stairs, and it turned out that the light was needed there for only 26 minutes, not 24 hours a day. But here we are no longer talking about a separate apartment, but about a common space in apartment building.

— Are there many emissions into the atmosphere from transport and can they be somehow reduced?

- Transport consumes 4/5 of the world's oil reserves and in large cities gives 80% of air pollution, respectively, and it affects the climate in a decisive way. But here the choice is very simple: public transport instead of a car. And if you need to go on vacation, but not very far, then it is better to choose a train instead of a plane, it will be much more environmentally friendly. The European Union even has a rule for business trips: for a distance of less than 400 kilometers, the plane is not paid - only the train. Well, for very short distances, it is best to choose a bicycle.

Another way people rarely think about reducing our impact on the climate is through our purchases. When we select products in a store, we tend not to pay attention to how far the product has been manufactured. If we choose oil from New Zealand, we must take into account that it has traveled 17 thousand kilometers. How much fuel was spent on the delivery of this oil, how much energy was spent on storing it in the refrigerator along the way! Extra packaging is also an extra waste of energy. For example, if instead of just a cucumber, buying a cucumber in polyethylene or on a pallet and in polyethylene, then this is also a waste of resources, which means an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

The fact that the climate is changing and this is due to the burning of fossil fuels is no longer in doubt among scientists. The consequences of global warming, if it cannot be slowed down, could be

Many experts suggest various options fight against. The conference on climate in Paris, which was organized by the UN, is devoted to this problem. It was attended by leaders of many countries, including the President of the Russian Federation. This conference was the most important historical event, during which agreements and commitments were developed to improve the climate in each country.

warming

The main global problem is warming. Every year the temperature rises by +2 degrees Celsius, which in the future will lead to a worldwide catastrophe:

• - melting glaciers;
• - drought of vast territories;
• — desertification of soils;
• - flooding of the coasts of continents and islands;
• - the development of mass epidemics.

In this regard, actions are being developed to eliminate these +2 degrees. For this, humanity has no more than 20 years left, therefore, coordinated joint work of all states is required. First of all, it is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, ideally by 50% by the middle of the 21st century. However, this is difficult to achieve, because the cleanliness of the climate is worth huge financial investments, which will amount to trillions of dollars.

Russia's participation in reducing emissions

On the territory of the Russian Federation, climatic changes in some places occur more intensively than in some other countries. The most dangerous regions are the Arctic and the Far East, where these processes are actively progressing. AT this moment Russia ranks fifth in terms of gas emissions. A strategy has been developed, according to which the Russian Federation undertakes to reduce emissions by 25% of the 1990 figures. For this, legislation will be changed, effective technologies will be developed. By 2030, the amount of harmful emissions should be reduced by 2 times, the ecology of cities will improve.

Experts say that Russia has reduced the energy intensity of GDP by about 42% in the first ten years of the 21st century. This was influenced by the use natural gas instead of coal. The Russian government plans to achieve the following indicators by 2025:

• reduction in the electricity intensity of GDP by 12%;
• reduction of energy intensity of GDP by 25%;
• fuel economy - 200 million tons.

An interesting fact was recorded by Russian scientists that the planet is expecting a cooling cycle, as the temperature will drop by a couple of degrees. This opinion is shared by a group of American scientists. For example, in Russia, weather forecasters predict severe winters in Siberia and the Urals for the second year.

How to stop global warming, which threatens earthlings with serious cataclysms? They will try to agree on this at the UN World Climate Conference that is opening in Paris. The leaders of many countries will take part in it, and the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected. This forum is already called historical. It should become a milestone in the development of our civilization.

And, it would seem, we are talking about just one figure, but it can largely decide the fate of mankind. If the average rise in temperature on Earth for several decades exceeds +2 degrees Celsius, then we are all in danger of disaster. This is the verdict of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In their scenarios - melting ice, drought, epidemics of dangerous diseases. And most importantly - the flooding of ocean coasts, and above all, many largest cities the world, such as Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, St. Petersburg, Buenos Aires, etc.

Scientists estimate that we have been assigned to emit 3,000 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere throughout history. We have already "spent" about 2,000 billion, and 1,000 billion remain. With current emissions of 50 billion tons per year, earthlings have only 20 years to stop warming.

In a word, Ch's time is approaching. And we must take action now. Mankind needs to unite in front of the climate threat, intelligently manage life on the planet. But for this, earthlings must agree to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2050. The goals are quite noble. But the devil is in the details. For example, who will pay for a favorable climate? But the sums are huge. For example, when the US did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol, it estimated the required investments at trillions of dollars. Now the price for a favorable climate is not called, but it is obvious to everyone that it will be huge money.

By the way, not only the United States, but also a number of countries, the main polluters of the atmosphere, have not signed the Kyoto Protocol. The attempt to solve climate problems at the UN conference in Copenhagen in 2009 also ended in failure. And here in Paris a new attempt will be made. The leaders of 195 countries who will gather in the capital of France must take their obligations to reduce emissions. Experts are already saying that it will be very difficult to reach an agreement. After all, each country has its own problems and interests.

But, on the other hand, it is indicative that already before the start of the forum a number of leading countries announced such intentions. For example, the United States promises to reduce emissions by 26-28 percent by 2025 compared to 2005. For the first time, China has announced a specific date when it will start cutting greenhouse gas emissions - 2030. In addition, he intends to increase the share of "green energy" to 20 percent and significantly reduce the consumption of coal - the main source of harmful emissions. And Europe is already fighting emissions not in words, but in deeds: between 1994 and 2014, they decreased by 23 percent. By 2050, Europe promises a halving, and the clear leader, France, is aiming for 4 times.

What contribution to the fight against global warming can Russia contribute? By the way, in our country, climate change is happening more than in other countries. Separate regions - and this is the entire Arctic, areas of mountain ranges, the entire Far East- very, very vulnerable to the processes associated with global warming.

Now Russia accounts for only 4 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, we are in 5th place after China, the USA, India, the EU. Our country, in accordance with the decree of President Vladimir Putin, has committed itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to no more than 75 percent of the 1990 level. How to fulfill these obligations? Sergey Donskoy, head of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, spoke about this at the International Conference "Global Climate Challenge: Dialogue between the State, Society and Business" that has just ended in Moscow.

First of all, the legislative base has been changed in the country,” he said. - For example, a law on the rationing system was adopted negative impact on the environment, based on the principles of the best available technologies. By 2030, this will ensure a more than 2-fold reduction in harmful emissions from stationary sources per unit of GDP. There will be 3 times fewer cities with high and very high level air pollution.

According to Donskoy, in the first decade of this century, Russia actually became the world leader in terms of the rate of decline in the energy intensity of GDP - it fell by 42 percent. The decisive role was played by the growth in the share of natural gas in the electric power industry and its replacement with coal, the most "dirty" fuel. In general, over the period 1990-2011, the reduction in emissions in Russia turned out to be more than the total contribution of greenhouse gases of all developed countries- Members of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. According to Bloomberg, Russia has taken the 2nd place in the world in terms of the use of investment mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol.

But the country sets new ambitious goals: to reduce the specific energy intensity of GDP by 25 percent by 2025, the electric intensity by 12 percent, and the annual savings due to energy saving by 2035 should be about 200 million tons of standard fuel. According to Sergey Donskoy, Russia is ready to discuss a fundamental issue for reducing emissions - the introduction of a carbon price. The Minister emphasized that at the conference in Paris, all countries, without exception, should take obligations to reduce emissions, clearly fixing this in the new climate agreement. Russia not only assumes such an obligation, but also insists that its interests be taken into account. The fact is that our country accounts for more than 70 percent of boreal forests and about 25 percent of the world's forest resources that absorb greenhouse gases.

We will insist that the contribution of our forests is taken into account on the same principles that operate today for tropical forests, - says Sergey Donskoy. - Our forests are of global importance for climate change mitigation, protection water resources, prevent soil erosion and preserve biodiversity on the planet.

Meanwhile

The Earth needs to prepare for a 30-year cooling cycle, said the chairman of the Tyumen scientific center SB RAS Academician Vladimir Melnikov. He predicts that average temperature on the planet will fall by 1.5-2 degrees Celsius. American scientists agree with this opinion. True, they believe that it is happening against the backdrop of global warming. That is, it will continue.

For the second year in a row, Russian weather forecasters predict severe winters. According to the head of Roshydromet, Alexander Frolov, the main cold fronts will pass over the Urals and southern Siberia. "There will be periods of prolonged cooling and periods of thaw," he said.

Infographics: WG / Leonid Kuleshov / Yuri Medvedev

Various studies have shown that over the past century, our planet Earth has warmed up one degree above average. Scientists believe that in the next 50 years the temperature will rise by another 3°C - 11°C, which will lead to serious consequences not only for the planet itself, but for all who inhabit it.

Global warming is a process of gradual increase in the average annual temperature of the Earth's atmosphere and the World Ocean. This problem is currently being discussed at the level of international negotiations. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world.

Scientists say that by 2070 the ice of the Arctic Ocean will completely melt. And in the summer it will be free to swim. Such circumstances may benefit some. The Arctic holds 25% of the remaining oil and gas reserves, and melting ice could make them more accessible.

However, not everything is as good as it might seem. If the glaciers melt, then by the end of this century, the level of the World Ocean will rise by 1 meter. Thus, the water will flood many coastal regions. The rate of global warming will increase as the melting arctic ice. As ice reflects most solar heat back into space, a thinner ice sheet would mean the earth would absorb more heat.

If the temperature continues to rise, then in just 200 years the population of the Earth could be reduced to 2.3 billion people.

Car exhaust, factory chimneys and other man-made sources of pollution together release about 22 billion tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere per year.

Under the influence of hydrocarbon energy arose ecological crisis, which can be considered as a violation of dynamic equilibrium in the biosphere. The physical consequences of this crisis were an increase in carbon dioxide emissions and adverse climate change.

If emissions of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere continue to increase until 2025 at today's rate, then by the end of the 21st century. the temperature on the planet will rise by 1.3°C compared to the pre-industrial period of human development. More terrible consequences on the planet will come if emissions are not stopped after 2025. Then the temperature will rise twice as fast.

The Earth's climate may be much more sensitive to the spread of greenhouse gases than previously thought. And even if the entire industry is immediately destroyed, a global catastrophe cannot be avoided. Some argue that the use of atomic energy solves the problem of the threat of global warming, since the reactors do not emit gases that cause the greenhouse effect. Warming can only be slowed down by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

How to slow down global warming, or proposals to save the Earth

Our planet absorbs 70% of all radiation it receives from the sun. To reduce this figure, astronomer Roger Anzel proposes to place millions of lenses around the Earth with a diameter of 60 cm and a weight of several grams, which will be able to reflect the sun's rays.

Climatologist Wallace Broker proposes to disperse sulfur particles in the stratosphere at an altitude of over 15 km using balloons and aircraft, which will last at this level for a year or two.

There is a proposal to disperse over the ocean substances that promote the growth of algae, absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide. It is already being implemented in some areas of Antarctica.

Greenpeace proposes to combine offshore wind turbines into a single offshore electrical network. Wind energy technology is an essential tool in solving the problem of global warming.

Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Izrael proposed his own version of the cooling of the planet. He proposes to slightly "curtain" the Sun, literally by 0.5%, to compensate for the excess temperature on Earth. To do this, you need to introduce into the stratosphere - 12-20 kilometers above the ground - aerosol substances that absorb sunlight. (This also happens in vivo- during volcanic eruptions.)
October 11, 2006 Olga Bochinina

Russian companies have taken the initiative to join forces Russian business to reduce environmental impact and prevent climate change by supporting the Russian Climate Partnership program. This initiative brings together businesses that have voluntarily agreed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thus contribute to the fight against climate change on earth.

What changes the climate

A couple of centuries ago, technical and industrial progress developed slowly. The population of the planet early XIX century was just over a billion people, today - already 7.5. The industrial revolution changed the world, new technologies launched the growth of not only the industry itself, but also the population. “In these two centuries, we have come a long way as a civilization. The carbon economy, which has grown enormously over the past 2 centuries, is now taking away the economic growth. This is what contributes to climate change. Every year, thanks to global warming, we lose great amount sown areas. There is a threat to the oceans, it can change the eating habits of millions of people. If we do nothing, then by the end of the century the temperature may rise by 4 degrees and our children will live in a completely different, unfamiliar world. It will be a gigantic growth of the oceans, serious desertification, natural disasters”, — such an appeal was opened by its moderator, director of public relations of the En + Group company, chairman of the committee on ecology and protection environment Association of Managers Elena Vishnyakova .

Scientists call greenhouse gases one of the causes of climate change, and the energy industry is one of their main sources. According to the World Energy Agency, energy accounts for almost 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions on Earth. As told En+ representative Andrey Petrushinin, in Russia, the energy sector looks better in terms of greenhouse gas emissions than, for example, in the United States, China or Germany. “The share of low-carbon energy accounts for about 75-80% installed capacity Russian power plants: it's hydro and nuclear energy, it's also gas. And only about 20-25% comes from coal and diesel generation,” he said. In the US, Germany and China, coal is a much larger part of the energy mix: from 40% to 60%.

Is there an alternative to carbon fuels

Despite the relatively small share of “dirty” fuel in the energy mix, Russian companies there is something to strive for. And here the example of the same En + is indicative: despite the fact that the main business of the company is hydropower (it manages five large hydroelectric power plants in Siberia and northwest Russia, producing about 8% of the electricity in the country), it also includes coal-fired thermal power plants. “Since 1990, our thermal power plants have almost halved greenhouse gas emissions from 36 million tons to 19 million tons. We have been able to achieve this by modernizing our hydroelectric power plants: they began to produce more energy by passing the same volume of water through turbines, and were able to to replace the energy of coal-fired power plants in the energy balance. The second direction is a radical reduction in losses in electrical and thermal networks, the effect amounted to about 4.5 billion kWh per year, which practically corresponds to the annual energy consumption in Mongolia. Finally, we are closing low-efficiency small coal-fired boilers and stations, shifting the load to large stations. By 2025, we want to reduce emissions by another 50% by increasing generation at hydroelectric power plants and switching boilers to gas,” a company representative said.

Power and business

Today, the territory of the Arctic is especially vulnerable to climatic manifestations of global warming. This is manifested in the rapid pace of ice melting, the map is also changing permafrost. In Russia 9 climatic zones Therefore, it is important to have a competent attitude to adaptation to a changing climate, from which you can draw your pros and cons. This is a reduction in the use of electricity, and the melting of ice, which will allow more use of the Northern Sea Route. What is happening now, after the signing of the Paris Agreement by all countries of the planet? “In Russia, there is a certain policy that encourages and stimulates enterprises to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Today, this policy is not yet concrete enough. Although we can see the course of this strategy in the political doctrine. It contains the principal starting points for its implementation. And a specific significant moment is that it reflects the balance of the subject-climatic choice between the efficiency of the economy and social justice. We must strive to maintain this balance,” commented the Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Sphere of Water Resources and Hydrometeorology of the Ministry natural resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation Larisa Korepanova.

A look at the problem in the world

In mid-November, the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was held in Bonn. Key questions negotiations became methodological, technological and financial questions ongoing cooperation between the parties to the Convention/Kyoto Protocol, as well as the formation of institutional and procedural mechanisms for the implementation of the Paris Agreement. In accordance with the government decree Russian Federation, Roshydromet ensures the participation of the Russian Federation in the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol. The conference was attended by representatives of Roshydromet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Energy of Russia, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia, and the Federal Forestry Agency. “It was a conscious discussion and presentation platform for our foreign colleagues and partners to learn about what is being done in our country. There is a fairly common point of view that in Russia we are not doing enough in connection with the manifestation of climate change both by the business community and government agencies. This is not true. Roshydromet made a presentation on its research work in the field of climate. He spoke about the help that is being provided foreign countries In order to promote sustainable development, Rosatom made a presentation on its approaches to ensuring clean energy, there was a day with a symbolic name: Low-Carbon Aluminum Day, ”said the participant of the conference in Bonn, Office Climate Advisor international projects OK « RUSAL" Dinara Gershinkova.

During the meeting department expert corporate governance and Sustainability KPMG in Russia and the CIS Vladimir Lukin briefed the audience with an overview of global business practices related to climate change. He noted that annually for the international economic forum fundamental research, which describes all the global risks and threats facing humanity, and their ranking is carried out. In particular, the risks associated with climate change are ranked second only to the use of weapons. mass destruction. This is the availability of water resources, and ensuring the quality of life of people, because. climatic conditions are directly related to the forced migration of people in many countries. The expert gave several good examples in the field of greenhouse gas emission management: this is PJSC Gazprom, which quite consistently implements a policy in the field of carbon development, in particular, the company's main achievements are a 23% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions over 5 years. The second example is STATOIL ASA, which is also quite successful in implementing a low-carbon development strategy and is a fairly serious investor in a renewable energy project.

Oleg Pluzhnikov, Chairman of the Business Development Department in the field of ecology of Delovaya Rossiya, Development Director of the National Organization for Support of Carbon Sequestration Projects, entering into the discussion, noted: “For Russia, the most important thing is certainty about what we are striving for, where we are going, what investments are expected to promote the low-carbon development of the Russian economy, we must set such goals and questions. The problem is that economic regulation of gas emissions is being prepared now, we in Russia are trying to keep track of what happens in government structures when preparing such documents.”

How the business works

Despite the many questions that still remain, the business independently builds a strategy for solving problems, focusing on Western buyers and partners who have a number of stringent requirements for suppliers: from how environmentally friendly the proposed product is to the environmental friendliness of its production process. In particular, all this affected the producers of domestic aluminum sold abroad. “They take a close look at what kind of aluminum they use in their cars. They set high goals and requirements for their suppliers. We, as a company that delivers aluminum, cannot stand aside from this, because demand creates supply, and we must be very prompt and sympathetic to what our customers require of us. Also, many banks refuse to invest in projects that have a high carbon footprint,” she explained. department director public relations OK « RUSAL Olga Sanarova. She also noted that the company has an advantage in the entire aluminum market, primarily due to access to clean, renewable hydropower. A month ago, RUSAL provided a certificate that guarantees customers that the aluminum they purchase has a low carbon footprint.

Another example of a clean tech business is Moscow-based engineering company DriveElectro. Her CEO Sergey Ivanov spoke about the development of modern environmentally friendly transport. It is no secret that transport is the main polluter of cities, any combustion of fuel is accompanied by the release of CO 2 . The city adds another carcinogen, which is formed in traffic jams. “We have created two types of urban electric buses that can function as a trolley bus, that is, move under contact network, and on those routes where minibuses and diesel buses used to go. We launched these machines in several cities: in Tula, Belgorod and Belarus. They also created electric buses with recharging at the end points. This transport is environmentally friendly, especially if you use an environmentally friendly source of energy,” Sergey Ivanov emphasized.

PJSC Gazprom has set key performance indicators in the innovative development program approved by the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Economic Development. Of the 7 key indicators, 2 are devoted specifically to climate issues. Gazprom continues to implement the clean transport program, fulfilling the government's task of converting 50% of municipal transport in the largest metropolitan cities to gas. By 2020, this goal will be achieved. Gazprombank actively lends to projects for the development of renewable energy. Recently, a loan of almost 7 billion rubles was issued for the construction solar panels in the regions of Russia. “At the same time, we are not resting on our laurels, we are looking for innovative approaches and are actively working on the production of hydrogen from natural gas. You know that 90% of hydrogen is produced from natural gas: methane. We are talking about transitioning to low-carbon or absolutely carbon-free energy based on hydrogen, this will be energy based on natural gas. main idea is to continue to provide our customers with a carbon product, and we will do everything to remain a climate-friendly campaign,” the Executive Secretary of the Gazprom Coordinating Committee for Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency of Subsidiaries of the Energy Saving and Ecology Department shared Gazprom’s climate strategy PJSC Gazprom Konstantin Romanov.

The meeting participants prepared a resolution with proposals on the role of business in the implementation of the goals and objectives of the Paris Agreement, on possible ways and mechanisms for the decarbonization of the Russian economy, its individual sectors and companies using low-carbon development strategies as examples, and also prepared initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change offered to companies under the UN Global Compact. The Ecology and Environmental Protection Committee of the Association of Managers will send a resolution to the Presidential Administration, the Government Office, the State Duma and the Federation Council, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Education.