Sustainable and ethical energy access and consumption - legal and ethical principles

Global Reality

Rain does not fall on one roof alone

The chances are high that before reading this post, you used quite a bit of energy today, and this access to energy makes your quality of life beyond decent. Today still 1.2 billion people live their lives without electricity access, and over 2.7 billion people use solid biomass for cooking, leading to health hazards and 3.5 million deaths annually from indoor air pollution. Can you imagine your life under these circumstances?

What is needed and what is considered a basic standard of living adequate for one’s health and well-being differs per culture and state of development. We need to reevaluate on a global scale what energy consumption, transportation, and production patterns reflect a ‘decent’ standard of well-being in order to ensure sustainable energy access for all people, now and in the future.  

A sustainable society is founded on equal access to health care, nutrition, clean water, shelter, education, energy, economic opportunities and employment. In this ideal society, humans live in harmony with their natural environment, conserving resources not only for their own generation, but also for their children’s children. Each citizen enjoys a high quality of life and there is social justice for all. This concept transverses national borders and requires we enable these rights on a global basis.

How fast should we start working on greenhouse gas emission reduction?

Climate change, though inevitable, can still be mitigated. If we are to enable the scenario with a maximum 2 °C increase, we need to construct emission targets corresponding to reaching that goal in a timely fashion. But how timely?

Already two years ago the New Climate Institute and the Netherlands Environment Assessment Agency compared the results of different organizations in determining the target years for greenhouse gas (GHG) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) net zero emissions.

• The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reported in their Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) from 2014 that, if we want to have a 66% chance of meeting the 2 °C target, global GHG emissions should be net zero around 2100 and CO₂, the main contributor of GHG emissions, should be net zero around 2085. That is to say, if we start measures in 2010 to reach that target.
• The United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) analyzed in 2014 what would happen if we started reducing emissions in 2020 rather than 2010, which is a more likely starting time for many countries. This led to global GHG emissions having to be net zero around 2075, and CO₂ around 2065.
• The Climate Action Tracker used the IPCC data but instead analyzed how we could have an 85% chance of meeting the 2 °C target. For this, GHG emissions would have to be net zero around 2070, and CO₂ around 2055. 

It seems that with our current research vision of 80% GHG emission reduction and beyond for 2050, we would not be able to achieve this target on time, and our emphasis should be on ‘and beyond’ even more. 

Figure based on Net phase out of global GHG emissions, NCI, 2015.

Effects of 2 °C increase Japan

As can be seen in this hypothetical weather report for 2050 from the World Meteorological Organization, despite a successful 80% greenhouse gas emission reduction, climate change in Japan has led to elongated heat waves and droughts of over 50 days, and the number of annual heat-related deaths has risen to 6,500. The increased average temperature is affecting the environment as well, with trees delaying their traditional autumnal shift in colors, which consequently has shifted tourism patterns. Coral reefs in Okinawa have become affected by irreversible bleaching and are attracting less tourists. Rice yields have increased but the quality has decreased. The average annual number of cyclones making landfall has increased from 2.6 between 1971 and 2000, to 5.2 between 2031 and 2050, and the number of category 4 and 5 storms (super typhoons) has doubled, which has caused increased deaths, infrastructure damages and power blackouts. While the cyclones bring a temporary relief to heat waves, their destruction includes storm surges up to 10 meters. In addition, the sea level has risen by 40 cm, diminishing beach areas and requiring additional flood protective infrastructure for a great deal of the nearly 30,000 km coastline. However, due to Japan’s long experience in preparing for natural hazards and investing in mitigation, a larger share of the population now lives in safer areas, through combined demographic and infrastructural plans.

This is the best case future for us and our children we are trying to make happen today. The effects are summarized in the figure below:

References

Rice yields and other effects on flora and fauna: Climate change and its impact in Japan, Financial Year 2012, Ministry of the Environment. 

Average number of cyclones: Typhoons more predictable but still deadly, Japan Times. 

More about future cyclones: Asian Typhoons becoming more intense, study finds, The Guardian.