Reset Could be the Key to Decarbonization?

When things go too far, it’s hard to reset. Let’s say you are playing a video game, at the beginning of the game, it is easy to reset and play again. But if you’ve been playing the game for a long time and have been earning all those points for days, it's a lot more complicated.

Could we still reset the damage we have done to our planet?

In June 2017, a huge tsunami hit the west coast of Greenland. But it wasn’t caused by an earthquake, the cause was a massive landslide of melting ice. In Greenland, the cliffs bond together with rocks and ice. As global warming happens, the ice melts and landslides can occur into the ocean displacing massive amounts of water in an instant causing the tsunami.

In 2021, many world leaders set a goal to reduce greenhouse gasses at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26). Meanwhile in the US, President Biden is working towards a 50% reduction in greenhouse gasses by 2030. We have to make this happen because the situation is urgent.

Since the industrial revolution the average temperature has risen about 1.8° F. That may not seem like much until one considers how many natural disasters are occurring in the world right now. If our planet's temperature keeps rising, it will eventually cause more severe damage that cannot be undone. The Amazon rainforest will not be able to grow back again, glaciers will thaw and never freeze again. If we don’t drastically reduce our emissions, we will continue to experience climate-related disasters like the Greenland tsunami happening more and more frequently. 

Resetting everything is hard. But that's what's required to fight climate change. Some companies are working to find alternative solutions - ways to go completely carbon neutral. TotalEnergy set the goal of transitioning from fossil fuels-based energy - which had been 99% of their business - to more sustainable forms of energy like wind, solar, hydrogen and biomes. (To read more click here) And Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard donated the company to fight climate change. (To read more click here)

We share the same goal: to reverse climate change. Companies and nations are not the only ones responsible. To accomplish this goal we all will need to reset something in our lifestyle. It won't be easy.

But it is not too late.