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INST 154 Term Paper

Climate Change and Carbon Neutrality:

An Analysis of how Large Goals can be Accomplished

Delaney Lloyd

Introduction

There is no doubt that climate change is a global issue. It has flooded the news, social

media, and it is a hot topic of discussion in politics. With all of this information floating around,

it might leave one to wonder: Is this really a big deal? Can we stop this? How do we stop it?

There are many questions that one can ask, but first it’s important to inquire, what is climate

change? The United Nation defines climate change as, “the long-term shifts in temperatures and

weather patterns” (What is Climate Change). While there is always going to be some natural

changes to the climate, human activity has been the largest contributing factor by far. The world

is currently too reliant on fossil fuels, which contributes a large amount to global warming and

the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Due to the large amounts of Greenhouse gasses

that are trapped in the atmosphere, the average global temperature has risen by 1 degree Celsius

since 1880-1900, the pre-industrial era (Climate Change: Global Temperature). This has caused

there to be an increase in extreme weather, loss of biodiversity, food scarcity, and a rise in sea

level. Clearly we cannot continue down the path that we are on and we need to take action before

it is too late. We should aim to achieve carbon neutrality in every facet of life by the year 2040.

How does one accomplish such a seemingly ambitious and timely goal? A combination of

factors such as a reason to act, political support, having a sufficient set of existing knowledge,

communication and teamwork between nations, and public support, are all things that will assist

in the completion of this demanding goal.

A Reason to Act

There needs to be a motivating factor in order for a goal to be accomplished. Otherwise,

it will be easy to wait around and convince ourselves that we will get to it when we have more

time, more money, and more energy. In terms of climate change, studies have shown that if we

do not make drastic changes to the way we currently function as a society, there are going to be

several irreversible consequences to our actions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate

Change defines near-term as 2021-2040 and mid to long-term as 2040-2100. They claim, “The

magnitude and rate of climate change and associated risks depend strongly on near-term

mitigation and adaptation actions, and projected adverse impacts and related losses and damages

escalate with every increment of global warming (very high confidence)” (Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change). This means that unless we make severe changes to the way we

interact with the environment in the near-term, there is very high confidence that there are going

to be severe consequences in the mid to long-term. Hence, why 2040 needs to be the strong

deadline of this goal. The pressing factor is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere;

“The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates suggest the need to

remove up to 1000 gigatons of CO2 from the atmosphere if we are to limit warming to 1.5°C”

(Zelikova). Carbon dioxide accounts for 64.3% of the greenhouse gasses that are produced from

human activity (Plumer). This means that CO2 has an enormous contribution to the extreme

weather, loss of biodiversity, food scarcity, and rise in sea level that is going on in the world. In

order to decrease the harm on the environment, we need to drastically lower the amount of

carbon dioxide in the atmosphere before we start to feel the irreversible effects.
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A Sufficient set of Existing Knowledge

Another important factor is having a sufficient set of existing knowledge. This is

especially important when you have a very short amount of time in order to accomplish an

ambitious goal. If there is already existing knowledge, it will give us insight into how we should

best spend our time in order to achieve the goal in a timely manner. Since the 1800’s we have

been keeping track of the average global temperature. From this, we have been able to see trends

in the data that lead us to a clear conclusion: human activity is the main contributor to the Earth’s

rise in average temperature. “According to NOAA's 2020 Annual Climate Report the combined

land and ocean temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.13 degrees Fahrenheit ( 0.08

degrees Celsius) per decade since 1880; however, the average rate of increase since 1981

(0.18°C / 0.32°F) has been more than twice that rate” (Climate Change: Global Temperature).

Ultimately, scientists are confident that human activity is producing greenhouse gasses at an

alarming rate. Since the cause of climate change is known, we can focus our time, money, and

energy into reducing the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Furthermore, we have a solid understanding of clean energy alternatives. Biomass,

hydropower, and wind have already been implemented throughout the world. They make up 95%

of the United States’ clean energy, while solar and geothermal make up 1% and 3%, respectively.

However, clean energy only accounts for approximately 20% of the United States’ total energy

consumption (Plumer). We will need to expand the existing knowledge by conducting research

into lowering the cost and the increased performance of renewable alternatives. The already

existing clean energy programs act as a launch pad for this goal. These carbon free alternatives

need to be implemented on a larger scale, which could bring us one step closer to achieving

carbon neutrality.
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Political and Governmental Support

Politics is not a simple issue, however it is crucial to have political support in order to

achieve carbon neutrality by 2040. Currently, our economy and way of living are entirely too

dependent on the use of fossil fuels. The Environmental and Energy Study Institute explains,

“Fossil fuels—including coal, oil, and natural gas—have been powering economies for over 150

years, and currently supply about 80 percent of the world’s energy”. The only way we can lessen

our dependence on fossil fuels on a global scale is if there are policymakers that completely alter

the way current large corporations operate. New taxes and bans will need to be implemented so

that there will be more governmental control and therefore a clearer path in order to accomplish

this goal.

For instance, fossil fuel companies are very profitable, so they do not have an incentive to

make any changes to the way they operate. There will need to be policies put in place that limit

their funding. In the United States, “taxpayers spend tens of billions of dollars a year subsidizing

new fossil fuel exploration, production, and consumption, which directly affects how much oil,

natural gas, and coal gets produced—and how much clean energy doesn’t” (The Absurd Truth

about Fossil Fuel Subsidies). Fossil fuel subsidies should be minimized and the government

should subsidize clean energy, like solar, wind, geothermal, biomass and hydropower instead. In

addition, climate change policies and environmental programs need to be funded so that specific

work can be done in individual communities in order to accomplish the overall goal. There also

has to be standards for clean energy in every facet of life, and if it is not met, there will be heavy

fines. The United States and other large nations should also be directing their funding outwards.

Smaller countries, especially small islands, are suffering tremendous amounts from the effects of
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climate change and they need the proper funding in order to be able to recover and restructure

their energy usage (Summary for Policymakers).

Communication and Teamwork Between Nations

Ultimately, this goal is unachievable unless there is strong communication and teamwork

between nations. The United States and China currently account for almost 50% of total carbon

emissions (Zelikova). Even if both countries managed to independently and drastically cut

carbon emissions, the Earth would still be nowhere close to achieving carbon neutrality. It is

necessary for all nations to work towards this goal collectively. The Paris Agreement is an

existing treaty that demonstrates the ability for nations with a variety of different cultures and

beliefs to unite under a common goal which, in this instance, is to battle climate change. The

United States needs to take a leadership role as their “actions can either dampen or accelerate

global action. If the United States fails to make commitments that the rest of the world views as

serious, it will be harder to pressure other countries to take more serious action” (Hultman,

Gross). Large emissions contributors not only need to demonstrate that they will reduce their

own emissions, but also assist smaller countries as well. The United States and other world

powers can fund climate change organizations and help implement clean energy sources in other

countries.

Public Support

A factor that is often overlooked when discussing climate change is public support and a

willingness for individual involvement and sacrifice. When climate change is talked about, big

corporations and fossil fuel companies are often blamed for the lack of action and progress being

made. However, people fail to realize how much of an impact occurs on an individual level as

well. The United States would not have the democratic system it does, if it weren’t for individual
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involvement; voting is crucial in order to make drastic changes. The public needs to vote for

policies and fund politicians that are in support of fighting climate change.

On another note, in order to achieve carbon neutrality, there are going to be several

changes to an average person’s everyday life, which may be inconvenient at times. For instance,

most people like to order next day shipping even though it is not the most environmentally

friendly option. Also, it is environmentally inefficient to ship in fresh produce from other

countries all throughout the year. It is the most environmentally friendly option for fruits and

vegetables to only be available if they are currently in season. If the public refuses to sacrifice

these luxuries, this goal will be unachievable. Change is uncomfortable, but it is often necessary.

Process to Achieve the Goal

In order to achieve global carbon neutrality in every facet of life by 2040, there needs to

be a quick transition to clean energy across the world. There are many challenges in doing this,

as the economy is reliant on the use of fossil fuels. As a first step, countries should implement a

carbon tax in order to incentivise the transition towards cleaner energy alternatives. Businesses

will try to minimize the amount they have to pay in taxes by reducing their carbon emissions. In

order to ensure that the carbon tax is not regressive, the money from it should go back into the

communities in order to fund environmental programs and organizations. In addition to the tax,

fossil fuel funding should be cut drastically and the difference should go towards clean energy

such as biomass, solar, wind, hydropower, and geothermal.

Furthermore, local governments should have the power to decide whether a new business

should be able to move into the area based on their emission levels. This will make it

increasingly difficult for fossil fuel dependent companies to find a place to settle down. In reality,

it is not possible to eliminate fossil fuels entirely by 2040 since the world is so dependent on it.
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For example, as a society, we are dependent on gas cars; the United States has especially poor

public transportation. It would be best if the whole world switched to electric cars, but this is not

possible to do before 2040. This can be problematic and discouraging to think about, but the

New York Times explains, “This daunting task of ‘electrifying everything’ becomes easier if

we’re also curbing our energy use at the same time. That could entail making cities less

dependent on cars, upgrading home insulation and boosting energy-efficiency in factories”. This

means that despite our best efforts, there will still be some carbon emissions. In order to

compensate for this, agricultural practices can be improved in order to sequester more carbon

from the atmosphere.

These aforementioned steps are exponentially harder to achieve in countries that are

small, worse off, or behind on combating climate change. This is why it’s crucial for world

powers, like the United States, to support these nations. They need to provide funding and help

develop their own clean energy programs. The Paris Agreement should continue to share plans

and ensure that goals are being met around the world. There are also always things to contribute

to the goal on a more personal level, such as purchasing an electric car, carpooling, opting in for

a later shipping date, and using clean energy in one’s house. It’s important to keep the public

informed about climate change and how it is changing over time. Because of this, it would be a

good idea to add climate change courses to the high school curriculum. If students are educated

about the severity of the climate crisis, they will be more likely to vote in favor of important

policies after they graduate. Figuring out how to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 is difficult

and complicated, but the combination of these factors make it possible, nonetheless.
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Comparison to Apollo

When John F Kennedy gave his “Man on the Moon” speech, most of the public thought

that he was completely crazy, yet Kennedy’s goal was still accomplished. Most would have the

same doubts when discussing the achievement of carbon neutrality in less than 20 years.

However, there are many factors that the successful Apollo mission has in common with the goal

of carbon neutrality. For instance, they both have a clear reason to act. During the Apollo

mission, the United States was in a space race with the Soviet Union. Both were highly

motivated to be the first ones to make unprecedented achievements in regards to space

exploration. They also did not want to fall behind the other nation. The United States feared that

unless they acted, the Soviets would become much more technologically advanced which would

give them an advantage; they wanted to be able to keep up. Similarly, we do not want things to

get too far out of hand in terms of carbon emissions and global temperatures to the point where

we can not keep up. We must act now in order to avoid long term irreversible effects. In order to

make the necessary changes, there needs to be adequate political support. Carbon taxes, emission

limits, and clean energy funding are three crucial components that need political support.

Likewise, the Apollo mission was successful because it had proper governmental support. “The

United States spent $25.8 billion on Project Apollo between 1960 and 1973, or approximately

$257 billion when adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars” (How Much Did the Apollo Program

Cost?). Ultimately, “the Apollo Program budget represented 34% of NASA’s spending”

(Cooper). Without funding, there is no means of getting things done. Climate change programs

currently do not receive enough funding; this needs to change in order to achieve carbon

neutrality.
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Although there are several similarities between the goal of climate neutrality and the

Apollo mission, there are many differences as well. The United States accomplished the Apollo

mission without the help of other nations. This was largely due to the fact that the goal was to be

the first nation to put a man on the moon. There was competition between countries to be the

best. However, in order to become carbon neutral in every facet of life on a global scale,

cooperation and teamwork between nations is a necessity. Success is reliant on communication

and teamwork throughout the world. Another difference between the two is that we have more

knowledge about the climate crisis and how to solve it than the Apollo program had about their

goal at the time. In terms of the climate crisis, it is clear what has to be done and we have the

technology in order to do it. The difficult part is getting public and political support. On the other

hand, the Apollo program had strong political support, but their technological knowledge was

lacking. There had to be a huge development in technology as they worked on the Apollo

mission. Also, the Apollo program did not need public support in order to be successful. This is

not the case for the climate crisis; public support is a huge factor in its success. Actions need to

be taken and sacrifices need to be made on an individual level in order to achieve carbon

neutrality. Ultimately, the nature of the goal determines which factors are going to be required to

accomplish it.

Conclusion

The first step in achieving any big goal is stating a specific objective with no ambiguity.

All too often, we settle for accomplishing less than we originally intended because there was not

a clear definition of success. However, with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in every facet

of life by 2040, there is no ambiguity in what success looks like. Our existing knowledge gives

us a reason to act. The carbon levels in the atmosphere are continuously rising which threatens
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the stability of the entire planet. The global temperature is rising, biodiversity is decreasing, and

extreme weather is becoming more common. There needs to be global support in order to

achieve this goal, which is never easy. Countries need to put aside their differences and unite

under the common goal of carbon neutrality. However, it is a detrimental mindset to believe that

the climate crisis can be solved without public support. The public is reliant on the products

produced by fossil fuels; the public votes; the public needs to make changes as well. This goal is

reliant on the sacrifices that individuals and big corporations make at their expense in order to

help the greater good. The goal of carbon neutrality seems less out of reach when it’s broken

down into smaller goals and factors. Although it is ambitious and requires a great deal of

support, it can be done.

References

Cooper, Christopher. “How Much Did the Apollo Program Cost (and Was It Worth It)?”, 1 Nov.

2020, https://christopherrcooper.com/apollo-program-cost-return-investment/.

“Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.” IPCC Intergovernmental Panel

on Climate Change, https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/.

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). “Fossil Fuels.” EESI,

https://www.eesi.org/topics/fossil-fuels/description.

“How Much Did the Apollo Program Cost?” The Planetary Society,

https://www.planetary.org/space-policy/cost-of-apollo.

Hultman, Nathan, and Samantha Gross. “How the United States Can Return to Credible Climate

Leadership.” Brookings, Brookings, 9 Mar. 2022,

https://www.brookings.edu/research/us-action-is-the-lynchpin-for-successful-internationa

l-climate-policy-in-2021/.

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