Have you ever thought about how much we unknowingly contribute to the threats facing humanity's survival? Most of us don’t choose to do it on purpose, but we all play a part. Maybe it's because it feels easier not to think about it—we go through our daily lives without considering how our actions today might impact future generations, like our children, grandchildren, and beyond.
Just in case you missed it, know this. This week in Baku, Azerbaijan COP29 happened.
What is COP29 you might ask. You see, COP29 refers to the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It is an annual summit where world leaders, policymakers, scientists, and activists gather to discuss and negotiate global efforts to address climate change. COP29 is taking place from November 11 to 22, 2024, in Baku, Azerbaijan, under the presidency of Azerbaijan. Of the many objectives of this years conference the major one is: Strengthening nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the Paris Agreement goals. Among the notable absentees were U.S. President Joe Biden, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, China's President Xi Jinping, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russia's President Vladimir Putin, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. Want to guess who among this list of countries are the major contributors to our planet's destruction? (Think zero-sum bias.)
So let us rephrase the question. Have you ever thought about how much we knowingly contribute to the threats facing humanity's survival? Yes the simple fact that you and I and eight billion of us who live on this "rock" (planet) has consequences should surprise no one. To live we consume “stuff” like fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and grains, as well as beverages such as coffee, tea, and soft drinks. In addition, toiletries, and personal care items such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and cosmetics. And cleaning products, paper goods like toilet paper and paper towels, and pet supplies. And then there is stuff such as clothing, electronics, and home appliances. The consumption of these goods is a fundamental part of daily life, contributing to the overall economy, standard of living and wealth creation.
The production of consumer goods includes multiple processes that emit substantial quantities of gases known as greenhouse gases (GHGs), which trap and reflect heat. The biggest challenge of our time is the struggle between reactions that release heat (exothermic reactions) and those that absorb heat (endothermic reactions). Whoever wins this battle will shape the future of human survival. The main gases that absorb and reflect heat back to Earth are released during these production processes include:
1. Carbon Dioxide (CO₂)
- Sources: Fossil fuel combustion in factories, energy production (e.g., coal, natural gas), and transportation during the extraction of raw materials and shipping of finished products.
- Sectors: This is prominent in sectors like electronics, textiles, automotive, and plastic production.
2. Methane (CH₄)
-Sources: Released during the extraction of fossil fuels (especially natural gas and oil), landfill decomposition of waste products, and certain agricultural processes.
-Sectors: Food processing, textiles, and paper production often generate methane, especially where organic matter is involved.
3. Nitrous Oxide (N₂O)
-Sources: Often released from chemical reactions in industries such as fertilizers for agricultural products, as well as the manufacturing of synthetic materials like nylon.
-Sectors: Agriculture-related consumer goods, synthetic fiber manufacturing, and chemical plants.
4. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
-Sources: Used as refrigerants in cooling systems, air conditioning units, and as blowing agents in foam production.
-Sectors: Refrigeration, insulation, and electronics production release HFCs.
5. Perfluorocarbons (PFCs)
- Sources: Emitted during the production of aluminum and from the semiconductor industry.
-Sectors: Aluminum smelting and semiconductor manufacturing.
6. Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF₆)
-Sources: Used as an insulator in electrical equipment and in the manufacturing of certain electronics.
-Sectors: Electronics industry, particularly in the production of microchips and switchgear.
Major Contributors to GHG Emissions in Consumer Product Manufacturing:
-Textiles: Synthetic fibers like polyester release significant CO₂ and N₂O. Cotton production leads to methane emissions from decomposition in landfills.
- Electronics: The mining of rare minerals, manufacturing processes, and energy-intensive production contribute heavily to CO₂, SF₆, and PFC emissions.
-Plastics: Derived from petrochemicals, their production emits high levels of CO₂ and methane.
-Food: Especially processed food products involve methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from fertilizers.
The total impact of consumer products on GHG emissions depends on the entire lifecycle, including raw material extraction, manufacturing, transportation, use, and disposal. Can humans continue the rate of consumption of the past century into the current century and beyond?
Which then raises the big “elephant in the room” question: when scarcity becomes a global reality, and the epoch of abundance becomes a faint silhouette in our rearview mirrors, and inflation runs amok beyond the controls of the "wise" policymakers, and catastrophic system failures proliferate in "cascades" and empathy morphs into apathy, will altruism prevail among humans?
Think about it!