Solar Technology

India continues to be very forward thinking and ambitious will all of their goals they have presented at the COP21 in Paris. One area of great importance is the need for all countries, but especially developing counties is to invest in alternative forms of energy. At this current point in time, it is not feasible for India to shift completely to alternative energy sources because there is simply not enough potential to allow them to continue to grow as a country. Therefore, they recognize that fossil fuels cannot be completely avoided and they must find ways to be more efficient and clean with them. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has continued to stress their commitment to climate change and taking action which can be seen through the launch of the International Solar Alliance with the French President Francois Hollande. One of the main aspects to this alliance is the focus on countries with enormous solar potential that are located around the equator, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. It is very important to utilize this great potential because developing countries struggle the most with people lacking access to energy. Over 1.3 billion people in all of the developing countries do not have access to energy which is a very significant portion of our entire population around the world. This is very alarming and it is clear that serious steps must be taken to ensure that we are able to provide sufficient energy to our entire population. This is absolutely vital that these resources are taken advantage of because they will play a key determining role with regard to the ability of the developing countries to continue to grow their economies. The overall objective of the ISA is to significantly increase the amount of solar and other types of alternative energy sources through the implementation of joint projects, programs and policies in order to ensure that this is possible. There are also plans for financial assistance for the projects as it will require significant help from developed nations with an estimated cost of $1 trillion USD by the year 2030 to ensure that these projects are made possible. India is very committed to this and has already stated that they would aim to enable the implementation of 100 GW of solar energy by the year 2022. This is a very significant step toward a greener future for India. India is not only committed to implementing these measures, they have also committed a significant amount of land toward renewable energy as well as mobilized $30 million USD to build the necessary foundation for this project. This is very exciting and hopefully everything plays out as planned so that developing countries and work together toward a greener future.

India's Action Plan on Climate Change

Since the beginning of the COP21 in Paris, India has proven to be a developing country that is seriously committed to investing in a more sustainable future. Even though they continue to stress that the developing nations are not doing enough to ensure that the developing nations are able to succeed and continue to grow their economies while at the same time stressing both adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change. With that in mind, India has still presented many ways in which they are showing great initiative in developing a greener future for their country. Although they have done many different things throughout the last couple weeks to show that they are completely committed, there are three key features to their sustainable habitat plan. One key feature is the extension of energy conservation that will not only implement LEDs in over 100 cities throughout the country, but will also stress the importance of following strict building codes when developing. This is very important because it will allow them to be able to continue to grow while at the same time building a foundation of sustainable development which will be very beneficial in years to come. Another key feature is the urban planning and shift in which public transportation will be drastically improved and will help reduce the amount of individuals on the road with an increased importance placed on sharing rides and utilizing alternative forms of transportation that do not cause as much pollution or help a greater number of people get to where they need to go. The third key feature is recycling and urban waste management which is a very significant issue that has caused many difficulties for members of this country in the past. This implementation will inevitably help India become a much cleaner and safer place for all citizens. Pollution is a very huge problem throughout the country and it is important to make sure the negative effects from the past are taken care of in order to be able to develop and more sustainable and cleaner future. Another great outcome is the proposal of $31.6 million has been approved and will be used to help implement the three key features mentioned.

India at COP21

As a developing nation in a time when an extreme level of importance and necessity is being placed on sustainability, India faces many problems with finding a way to both further develop their economy and country as a whole, while at the same time being as sustainable as possible. One program that has been introduced at COP21 is the Domestic Efficient Lighting Program that India is implementing that promotes LED based energy efficiency throughout the entire country. This is one of, if not the largest attempt by any country to promote energy efficiency. This is a very extreme commitment and will take some time to ensure that everything it entails comes together in the way it is intended. There are several key features to this program including the implementation of around 33 million LED bulbs that have the potential for 4 billion kilowatt hours in energy savings each year. Under this program, they will also make LED bulbs more affordable so that it can be used by an even wider range of people. So far this program has been very successful and is active in many major parts of India throughout 100 cities. The cost savings have already been very substantial and have already exceeded over $3 billion. There is also great benefits to the amount of CO2 emissions that have been reduced by 3.2 MT. The outlook for this program in the coming years is very optimistic with the target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 79 million tons of CO2, and annual energy savings of around 105 billion kilowatt hours. I think that this is a very good way for a developing country to take a very strong initiative and make a commitment such as this because it shows that even though they may face disadvantages when it comes to the ability to adapt or mitigate the effects of climate change, they are still willing to do everything in their power to ensure that they are able to move forward and still be as sustainable as possible. I think that India is a very good example of a leader for developing nations with regard to the very optimistic and determined approach they have shown so far at the COP21 in Paris. They are making very strong commitments and are willing to put in the time and resources to make sure that they are doing everything they can to ensure a greener future for their country. I think it is great to see a developing nation such as this take so many steps toward sustainability when they are still trying to grow. Overall, I believe that they will be much better off in the future through the various commitments they have made so far because they will have a solid foundation of sustainability practices that will make it easier as time goes on. Even though it will take some time to progress, it is great to see the urgency to get decisions made and help set the basis for substantial growth in the future.

Breakthrough Energy Coalition

I think that the Breakthrough Energy Coalition is a great thing that has been introduced early on in the COP21 in Paris. The main premise behind this is that we have the capability to develop ways to drastically reduce our carbon emissions and even stop producing it all together. However, there are many obstacles that stand in the way; one of which is the proper funding for the extensive research and studies that are needed in order to accomplish this goal. The great thing about this is there are several very powerful figures from all around the world that possess the ability to fund such operations. They have come together at COP21 and have realized that the direction our nations are heading is not sustainable or acceptable for upcoming years. Therefore, the urgency of climate change is being recognized, especially in the poorest parts of the world, which are most lacking in proper funding to combat this issue. Scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs need to all work together on this issue and help to created new and innovative technologies that will drastically change the way we impact our climate. The basic foundation of this program is the funding commitments for the necessary research that will be provided from the various billionaire entrepreneurs from around the world. It is not enough for the different governments to simply set policies or make regulations to reduce the amount of carbon. There must be a strong network created between the many sectors and everyone must work together and utilize the different specialties or capabilities in order to be the most progressive and successful when attempting to implement new areas in which we can all be sustainable. There is significant potential around the world for new operations and ways of doing things carbon neutral and this is not only very promising when approaching from and environmentalist standpoint, but also from an economic point of view because the investment in various forms of clean energy at these beginning stages could mean very significant profits in the future for the investors. This is important because in order to serious actions to be taken by the majority of our nations and governments, there must be some sort of vision for progression, not only in the sense of becoming more sustainable, but also maintaining economic growth. This is why it is absolutely essential to get these investors involved and work together to meet the common end goal.

COP21

After following the development of the COP21 in Paris over the last week, I have been pleasantly surprised by the amount of exciting and interesting occurrences. Many great things have already happened and I am sure that in the following days there will be even more. One initiative that I am particularly excited about is the new $500 million allotment to boost large scale climate action in developing countries. Four European countries including Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland announced that they will invest this money to create incentives with the main goal being a drastic reduction to the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in developing countries. This is one of the many things that are absolutely vital to creating the type of situation that can be successful and maintained through time. It is very important for the developing countries to have adequate funding for mitigation efforts and this is only possible through the assistance of larger developed countries such as these that are willing to step up and help out where they are needed the most. The Transformative Carbon Asset Facility is what will help the developing countries implement their different plans for emission cuts. One way in which these issues will be addressed is through the implementation of different policies with the end goal of making sure that the amount of emissions are reduced such as making payments to the countries for the amount of emissions they are able to reduce and help set up different programs to support renewable energy, transportation, and waste management. This initiative is planned to start in 2016 with the initial funding commitment set at $250 million and the goal is to eventually make it up to the mark of $500 million. This is only one small part to the incredibly diverse network throughout the world that will play a role in the overall mitigation and adaptation abilities of both the developed and developing nations. I think that this shows great commitment from the World Bank and it is great to see this type of occurrence so early on in the meetings. I am very excited and hopeful for things to come as time goes on and more treaties and initiatives are formed as all of the major players from around the world continue to work together to stress the importance of a more sustainable and environmentally friendly future.

Climate Policy and Politics

I think that it was a really good idea to examine the climate change discussion from the perspective of politics and policy directly after the week we focused on the scientific side. This is one area that I have not paid as much attention to with regard to climate change even though it is a vital part and is necessary to get any real results and implementations. I found Jeff Anderson's presentation to be very engaging and educational because he was able to make the political side of climate change very easy to understand. One of the main things I took away from his presentation was about the four different ideal environmental world views. This list included the market liberals that have a strong focus on economic growth which is an important aspect because we need to continue to be focused on improving and becoming more successful, while at the same time addressing ways in which we can do that while at the same time being environmentally friendly and sustainable. The other views include institutionalists, bioenvironmentalists, and social greens.
Another thing from this week that I though was really interesting was the article Forget Paris because it provided a different perspective on the conference. I think that it is really important to examine the different perspectives and arguments and this one is especially negative and does not think that anything worth while will be accomplished in Paris. This is a drastic turn from the majority of the things we have heard or talked about leading up to the conference that were essentially every hopeful that nationally binding treaties would be implemented and we would be on the right track for upcoming years. I think that this article is great in the sense that is shed light on the issue that money is a very key factor when it comes to relatively anything significant getting accomplished in this country. This is a sad reality, but at the same time I think the negativity is misplaced and the most influential people in the world have now realized that the current path we are following is not sustainable and changes must be made in order to protect our world. I am confident that the influential leaders will take everything into account and make responsible decisions. This can be seen through the worlds and actions of many billionaires and leaders around the world in recent weeks. It seems as though they are committed to helping project us in the right direction and it is looking very promising that there will be substantial actions taken to not only fund different projects and initiatives, but also to make sure that this time it is more than talk and loose commitments and each country is completely committed to this initiative which will be very beneficial to the overall outlook of future sustainability efforts.

Technological Solutions

I really enjoyed Troy's second visit to the class because he has a way of explaining complicated environmental science topics so they are very easy to apply and understand. One aspect of his presentation that I found particularly helpful was his explanation of geoengineering. He essentially stated that it is any method that would counteract or reduce the effects of global warming. There are essentially two different categories. The first is solar radiation management that has many different subcategories that are currently being studied as potential ways to combat climate change. The methods include placing reflectors in space in order to make sure that solar radiation is not longer a significant factor, placing aerosols into the stratosphere, increasing the albedo of the clouds which would increase the reflectivity, and changes to the albedo of different structures and locations on earth's surface such as in grasslands, cities, deserts and croplands. I think that some of these ideas are more realistic than others such as increasing the albedo of different locations on the earth. I do not think that it is a good idea to but reflectors in space, however, because it seems too unrealistic and would have a significant cost and risk and the same time which in almost any case scenario is not a good decision. The other category discussed is the removal of CO2. This provides several methods that are much more realistic and easy to implement that could help us see improvements much faster. There are many different ways to remove CO2 such as increasing the land sink through afforestation, which is currently being utilized in different places around the world such as Tanzania and India and has the potential to be a very good way to help mediate the issue. Another method is through increasing the ocean sink using various methods such as a solubility pump and increasing the alkalinity of the ocean. One aspect of Troy's presentation that I really did not understand was when he began to get into the mathematics of how the concentrations and levels of carbon and other substances are calculated. I think that this type of study is very interesting, but it is not something that makes sense to me. Although, I do think that having him explain this very long procedure was helpful in a sense because it actually showed how the different figures are calculated and it helped to give a greater appreciation to just how intricate and demanding this entire process is.