Gas detection & measurement T
oday's world is increasingly polarised on almost every issue. From hugely important topics like the economy and foreign policy to 'first world problems' like the casting of a particular TV show, it seems difficult to build a
sizable consensus on almost anything. This makes it all the more remarkable that the world seems to have formed a broad consensus around the climate emergency. While there may be disagreements on the exact measures needed to slow and eventually reverse the impact of global heating, consumers, businesses, scientists, and political bodies all generally agree that more needs to be done to reach that goal.
USING DATA TO INFORM THE GLOBAL CONVERSATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE Recent years have brought the consequences of climate change into sharp focus for millions of people across the world. In Africa, 1.6 million people have been displaced by climate-induced flooding, while the USA has been plagued by extreme weather resulting in an increased acreage of burned land along its West Coast. In total, scientists have counted 504 extreme weather events that have occurred since the turn of the millennium. Of these events, 71 per cent were made more likely or more severe as a consequence of
ONLY ACCURATE DETECTION CAN SWING THE PENDULUM AWAY FROM DANGEROUS EXTREMES
human-caused climate change – and only 49 of them occurred before 2011. Put simply, many are realising they cannot ignore climate change anymore, as its results can be seen on their doorstep. The only questions surround what to do about it – and the answers to those questions are held by data. This means that all industries must do their bit to collect more data about their emissions – especially those industries most closely associated with large gas emissions, like oil and gas production, energy, and mining. Improving data collection can drive real change. The data collected in recent years has given rise to a global focus on carbon that has penetrated mainstream consciousness. Now terms like 'carbon footprint' are part of our everyday lexicon, and businesses look to differentiate themselves in the eyes of consumers by promoting the carbon costs of their products. However, bringing down carbon emissions is very much a long-term project. The structure of carbon dioxide means each molecule has a relatively low heating potential on its own, but each one can persist in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. This means emissions are building up to have a significant cumulative effect on our climate – and that further changes are 'baked in', as emissions from decades ago may not fully dissipate for centuries.
More worryingly, there is a much more pressing threat to our planet's future that has gone largely under the radar until now – methane.
BUILDING MOMENTUM ON METHANE Unlike carbon dioxide, methane molecules have a very high heating potential, which can be up to 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide when it first reaches the atmosphere. However, it also has a much shorter lifespan, and dissipates within around 20 years. In other words, while methane emissions are accelerating our race towards the climate cliff edge, cutting them could pull us back from the brink just as quickly. Legislators around the world are realising this and passing new regulations that target methane emissions. It is now regularly raised at the annual COP conferences - COP28 saw over 150 nations sign the Global Methane Pledge and create a billion-dollar fund to support a 30 per cent reduction in methane by 2030. In the US, part of the Biden administration's flagship Inflation Reduction Act includes the creation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which grants up to $350m to states to support businesses in identifying and cutting methane emissions. The EU has proposed similar legislation, set to come into force imminently.
These new laws will influence the way many
UNCHARTED TERRITORY
By Mark Naples, managing director at Umicore Coating Services 24
June 2024 Instrumentation Monthly
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