A new era begins for Türkiye in the fight against climate change. Turkey became one of the active participants of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) held in Glasgow in November 2021. While organizing the “Turkey's Green Development Strategy Panel”, it signed four important commitments announced in Glasgow.
Although Turkey signed the Paris Climate Agreement late than most countries, it has been working for a long time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Planting trees, supporting renewable energy sources, and moving towards electric vehicles and systems instead of fossil fuel vehicles in public transportation are just a few of them.
However, Turkey may need to take faster and more comprehensive actions in order to meet the requirements of the Paris Climate Agreement. The Paris Climate Agreement envisages countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide emissions, by 50 percent until 2030, and to zero them by 2050, in order to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees.
Time is getting shorter. According to the report published by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in August 2021, the world needs to act faster than anticipated in order to prevent global climate change. In the report, after stating that global climate change is accelerating, it is noted that global warming may reach 1.5 degrees Celsius and even beyond in the next 20 years unless rapid and large-scale reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are urgently achieved. This will mean that the chance of preventing or stabilizing global climate change will be lost forever.
The greenhouse gases accumulating in the atmosphere prevent the reflection of sunlight from the atmosphere, and the trapped sunlight causes the earth to warm up more. So who releases the most greenhouse gases into the atmosphere? The answer is not far away: Everyone who eats, consumes electricity, heats and travels… Greenhouse gases rise from the table too: The agriculture and livestock sector emits greenhouse gases largely due to the use of fertilizers and energy, its annual amount is about a quarter of global emissions. . Electric and hybrid vehicles are popular these days, but more than 95 percent of existing vehicles still use fossil fuels, such as gasoline, diesel or LPG.
In recent years, important steps have been taken to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels in electricity generation. While the investment cost of wind and solar energy is rapidly decreasing, the share of renewable energy in electricity generation is increasing rapidly. However, there is no decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and industry, but there is an increase.
While time is running out, scientists are looking for ways to stop or at least slow down global climate change, using advanced technologies.
Technology can be a guide
In order to combat global climate change, first of all, information is needed. Where, how and how much greenhouse gas emissions are made? It is not possible to fight it without having this knowledge and without constantly monitoring the sources of greenhouse gases, that is, without recognizing the “enemy”.
This is where technology comes into play. 21st century technologies such as modern technology, internet of things, earth observation satellites, cloud computing and artificial intelligence can provide comprehensive information about greenhouse gas sources and amounts and almost instantaneous monitoring of greenhouse gas development. There is even a special definition for technologies that can be used in global climate change: Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT).
Climate Trace, a Google-backed nonprofit, is one example of AIoT. Climate Trace collects images and data from more than 300 remote monitoring satellites, as well as data from more than 11,100 sensors installed around the world. Based on this data, the company tracks greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, factories, cargo ships and forest fires, among others. Climate Trace believes that it will analyze this data with machine learning software and enable those concerned to follow the developments instantly. Thus, states and other groups around the world will be able to instantly detect illegal pollutants and take action.
There are also technological solutions that are narrower, appealing to local administrators, but can contribute significantly to the fight against global climate change with their results. The start-up called Kettle claims to use artificial neural networks to strengthen wildfire risk prediction.
Monitoring greenhouse gas emissions can provide significant economic benefits while making a great contribution to the fight against global climate change. As a matter of fact, according to a report prepared by the International Telecommunication Union affiliated to the United Nations, digital technology can help reduce the world's carbon emissions by approximately 17 percent, while providing significant efficiency gains and savings to public and private sector businesses. For example, artificial intelligence can help make electricity transmission networks more efficient. Applications have also been developed for this. The company called CarbonChain says that large companies can detect and take action on greenhouse gas emissions at every link of their value chain. For this purpose, the company uses the internet of things applications to create a facility that can make greenhouse gas emissions of enterprises, It creates digital twins of machinery and equipment and models their future emissions as well as tracking their greenhouse gas emissions. These models can help companies identify their current emissions and find ways to reduce them. In addition, by monitoring the machinery and equipment instantly, possible malfunctions that may hinder production can be noticed instantly; even before it breaks down, it is possible to take precautions. In addition, by monitoring the machinery and equipment instantly, possible malfunctions that may hinder production can be noticed instantly; even before it breaks down, it is possible to take precautions. In addition, by monitoring the machinery and equipment instantly, possible malfunctions that may hinder production can be noticed instantly; even before it breaks down, it is possible to take precautions.
Similar examples abound. Fero Labs, based in Germany and the USA, uses machine learning technology to help cement, steel and chemical companies with high greenhouse gas emissions increase their energy efficiency. WeaveGrid, on the other hand, helps electricity grid operators to set up charging stations with the most suitable capacity at the most suitable points for electric cars.
Science and Technology Searches in Nature for a Solution to Climate Change
After detecting a problem, it is necessary to seek a solution to the problem. This is what needs to be done after identifying the factors that cause global climate change. Scientists argue that the factors that cause greenhouse gas emissions should be neutralized first. However, doing this should not cause new problems. For example, in order to install wind turbines, forest areas should not be damaged by cutting trees. For this reason, scientists argue that the solution should generally be sought in nature.
Today's technologies offer the opportunity to develop a method of combating climate change without further harming nature. For example, US University of Washington scientists are trying to develop a solution by unwittingly mimicking the "cooling effect" of commercial ships that use highly polluting fuels and are responsible for 3 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions15. Merchant ships emit a fine brine vapor into the atmosphere during their long-haul voyages. This vapor, which condenses as it rises, reflects the sun's rays at a high rate and prevents the warming of the world to some extent. According to the theory of US scientists, if salt water spray is sprayed from commercial ships, they will dry immediately, which will create cloud clusters with high sunlight reflectance in the atmosphere, contributing to the cooling of the earth.
In an international project, it is planned to confine excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to rocks on the seafloor using wave energy. Vesta Project is one of the increasing number of carbon capture and storage projects. However, other projects have an important problem: The initial investment and operating costs are very high. Other solutions are not sustainable, according to the scientists who support Project Vesta. According to them, the method they are focusing on is just an accelerated version of a natural process. Scientists aim to accelerate the rock formation process of carbon dioxide by collapsing on the seafloor with a mineral called olivine. When olivine reacts with seawater, it traps carbon dioxide and turns it into dissolved silica. Dissolved silicate sinks to the seafloor and petrifies over time into rock. According to the project experts, The only cost of this process is the extraction of the abundant olivine mineral on earth and its transportation to the shores. This creates a cost of $21 per ton according to his calculations, which is quite reasonable compared to other carbon sequestration methods.
Another way to naturally trap excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is to create "carbon-eating plants." Suberin, which is found in plants such as black fungus and melon, is of great importance in this method. Scientists suggest that the world's most widely grown crops such as maize, rice and canola can be made to produce suberin using the gene editing technique (CRISP). So, what good will suberin do? According to scientists, the secretion of this substance will allow the roots of crops to go deeper. Roots are the parts of plants that store the most carbon dioxide. Even when the crops are harvested and the field is plowed during the harvest season, these deep roots will remain in the soil and carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere will be trapped in the soil for many years.
Another study focuses on seaweeds and plants. US scientists are working on establishing large seaweed and marine plant farms. Seaweeds and plants can both absorb carbon dioxide in the air and have economic value. Seaweeds can be used both as a cheap feed in livestock and as a basic input in the production of biofuels. Mostly corn and sugarcane are still used in the production of biofuels. Biofuels are seen as a serious alternative to fossil fuels as they are based on renewable sources. However, maize and sugar cane production requires large lands, plenty of fresh water and large amounts of fertilizer. This creates new environmental problems.
The use of marine plants in the production of biofuels could be a clean alternative. However, the production of algae and sea plants in large areas in the seas also has its drawbacks. For example, doing this agriculture in areas close to the coast may damage the coastal ecology and hinder maritime traffic and tourism. On the other hand, doing it in open seas will not be efficient as plants will receive less sunlight and oxygen in deep waters. In addition, the control and logistics of offshore farms will be challenging due to possible bad weather and high waves, resulting in high logistics costs (and more greenhouse gas emissions). US scientists propose various solutions to overcome such difficulties. One of the suggested solutions is to establish farms 80 meters deep in the sea and to carry out planting and harvesting operations with unmanned sea vehicles. Another suggestion is to set up farms on “smart barges” on the open sea. These smart barges, which are autonomous vehicles, will be towed deep at night, both protecting the farm from bad weather conditions and not hindering sea traffic. During the day, it will rise again, allowing the plants to receive sunlight. When harvest time comes, smart barges will head to the shore, reducing logistics costs.
Natural Options for Electricity Generation
Experts are also developing natural alternative methods for electricity generation, which is responsible for a significant part of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, University of Hong Kong researchers have developed a generator that generates electricity from rain. According to the researchers, “it is possible to produce 140 volts of electricity from a raindrop to light 100 small LED lamps”. In Florida, USA, researchers continue to work on turbines that generate electricity by making use of regular currents 25 meters below the sea. Generating electricity using the regular waves of the seas is also an increasingly common method. Trials in Scotland, the USA and Italy yielded positive results. In other words, after wind, solar and geothermal, wave can also be among the main renewable energy sources.
In addition to the development of alternative energy sources, the reuse of spent energy also constitutes a serious alternative. Cogeneration and trigeneration systems, which enable the waste energy created by the natural gas used, to be used in heating, cooling and even electricity generation, are becoming widespread. Systems that convert brake energy into electricity in hybrid motor vehicles are now quite familiar. Now, it is working on generating electricity from the movements and stops of the elevators with the same system. The system used in the elevators of the famous Empire State Building in New York, USA, is said to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent. Studies on converting the kinetic energy created by vehicles and pedestrians into electricity by using "piezoelectric material" on roads, bridges and sidewalks are progressing promisingly.
Electricity generation and warming are one of the main culprits of greenhouse gases that cause global climate change. That's why scientists pay particular attention to improving electrical systems. While increasing efficiency in electricity production and consumption, solutions are being developed to end losses. IoT applications can be a serious solution. As a matter of fact, in a project supported by the federal government in the USA, energy leaks were detected one by one and precautions were taken by placing hundreds of sensors, measuring devices and internet of things devices in 100 commercial buildings. As a result, at the end of one year, energy savings of $95 million, or the equivalent of the annual electricity consumption of 44,000 homes, were achieved.
Could “Turquoise Hydrogen” Revolutionize Transportation?
One of the methods developed to move away from fossil fuels in the transportation sector, which is responsible for about one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, is electric vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells. The number of vehicles with such engines, whose waste is only water, is very low, but this number is expected to increase over time. Hydrogen fuel cell has started to be seen not only in road vehicles but also in railways and seaways. Two hydrogen fuel cell trains started to operate in Germany in 2018. The UK has started a program to replace all diesel locomotives with hydrogen fuel cell ones. Small cargo and passenger ships with hydrogen fuel cells operate in the Netherlands and Japan15. Denmark and Norway have started a project to build a giant hydrogen fuel cell cruise ship. When the ship with a capacity of 1,800 passengers is completed,
But hydrogen fuel cells aren't all green. Because today, almost all of the hydrogen is obtained by heat treating fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil and separating it from methane and carbon in this process. The hydrogen obtained by this method is called "blue hydrogen". The hydrogen obtained from the decomposition of electricity obtained from renewable sources and water by electrolysis is called “green hydrogen”. However, this method costs much more and is not suitable for large-scale production. According to the International Energy Agency, only one-thousandth of hydrogen is produced by electrolysis. The European Commission now supports the method of obtaining "turquoise hydrogen", which combines both the "green" and "blue" hydrogen methods. In this method, hydrogen Again, it is separated from fossil fuels, especially natural gas, by heating with electricity obtained as renewable. The methane in natural gas is converted to hydrogen and solid carbon (or black carbon). This method has many benefits. The first of these is the release of less carbon dioxide to the nature in the production of hydrogen. The black carbon obtained can be used as a basic input in many industries, from automobile tires to coating materials and plastic production.
However, barriers remain to the use of pure hydrogen in freighters and large cruise ships or long-haul trucks. Chief among these are security and volume issues. Pure hydrogen is an extremely flammable and dangerous substance. It needs to be liquefied in order to be used on a long journey, but it can only be liquefied at -253 degrees. This means that more energy will have to be consumed to make hydrogen usable. For this reason, the International Maritime Organization, which aims to zero the greenhouse gas emissions of maritime transport by 2030, has turned to ammonia fuel cells instead of hydrogen. Because ammonia can be produced with hydrogen, it can be liquefied with less energy than hydrogen, and it is safer to transport than hydrogen. Ships with ammonia fuel cell received the support of the European Union.
Extraordinary Solutions with Miraculous Ingredients
Eliminating dependence on fossil fuel engines by developing powerful batteries to store electricity is a method scientists have been considering for a long time. Batteries have been developed that can actually move a car or truck or lift an airplane. However, such batteries, like hydrogen fuel cells, are very heavy and take up a lot of space. Scientists are now researching to spread the battery throughout the vehicle, building or facility it is on. For example, carbon fiber body material with lithium-ion layers on it was developed for the US military. Carbon fiber, the favorite material of passenger planes and racing cars, is both extremely light and durable.
Now, lithium-ion layers placed on carbon fiber materials can also store electricity. Thus, instead of heavy and bulky batteries, light and robust “electricity tanks” can provide great convenience wherever electricity is needed, from buildings to transportation vehicles, and can bring significant efficiency to the use of electricity.
Materials science, which develops rapidly with the support of 21st century technologies, develops miraculous solutions such as lithium-ion carbon fiber for energy saving and efficiency. One of them is “transparent wood”. In the USA, scientists have succeeded in obtaining transparent wood that can be used instead of glass from balsa wood, a fast-growing tree native to the Americas. The transparency of transparent wood is not less than glass. Moreover, very little energy is used in its construction. For this reason, it can replace glass, which consumes a lot of energy in its construction and therefore has high greenhouse gas emissions. For example, it can be used as window glass. Because transparent wood is at least as successful as today's window glasses in heat and sound insulation.
US Solidia Company Developed “Green Cement”
Billions of tons of cement are used in the world every year. The global cement industry is a very large and very important greenhouse gas producer. To produce cement, limestone must be heated to 2,700 degrees and undergo a chemical reaction. A tremendous amount of energy is spent for this, and therefore carbon dioxide emissions are also very high. In fact, according to some calculations, if the global cement industry were a country, it would be the third country with the highest carbon emission in the world. Scientists continued their research to reduce energy use in cement production. A company called Solidia has announced that it has developed a cement that not only reduces energy use in cement production by a third, but also traps carbon dioxide. Because carbon dioxide gas is used to solidify Solidia's cement. According to the company, if this cement becomes widespread, the carbon emissions of the construction sector could decrease by 70 percent. Another US start-up, Blue Planet System, is working on “synthetic limestone”, which is produced using lower energy to reduce carbon emissions in cement making. The company notes that while it obtains limestone, which is one of the main inputs of cement, synthetically, waste carbon dioxide from other enterprises will be used and thus will contribute significantly to reducing carbon emissions.
Swiss scientists announced that they have developed a polymer that collects solar energy. The polymer in question can be made into fabric. In other words, in the future, it will be possible to recharge the batteries of mobile phones from worn T-shirts or trousers.
One of the miracle materials of the near future may be “petroleum-free plastic”. Scientists at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (MREL) announced that they are making progress in the production of "green polyurethane" made from linseed oil, grease waste and even algae instead of petroleum. About 16 million tons of polyurethane is produced every year in the world; It is widely used in the production of artificial sponge and similar materials that provide insulation while increasing comfort in clothes, shoes, automobiles and household goods. However, polyurethane is a petroleum by-product and greenhouse gas emissions are quite high in its production. “Green polyurethane”, on the other hand, can not only recover waste oils but also trap carbon. However, it is noted that research on this issue should continue.
Smart Solutions for Agriculture and Forestry
Human activities are the biggest cause of greenhouse gas emissions. For example, carbon dioxide (often simply referred to as "carbon" by climate scientists and environmentalists), which accounts for about two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions, is increasing largely due to the use of fossil fuels or the destruction of forests and grasslands for agriculture that absorb the carbon released into the atmosphere. Methane, which is more dangerous than carbon, is released into the atmosphere as a result of human activities such as animal husbandry, energy use and heating. Nitrous oxide, fluorine and other greenhouse gases are released in agricultural and industrial activities.
For this reason, scientists attach great importance to solutions that will reduce greenhouse gases from agriculture and forestry activities. It is a common view that modern technologies should be used more in these areas.
And so it is: Thanks to technologies such as satellite tracking, ground-level sensors, and aerial thermal imaging, precision farming practices that save water and energy are gaining ground around the world.
Deforestation is one of the drivers of global climate change. However, technology is also developing solutions in these areas. For example, the UK-based technology company Dendra states that it has developed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can plant trees. According to the company, UAVs with artificial intelligence and machine learning technology identify areas that need to be reinstated, perform detailed region and soil analyzes and produce three-dimensional maps. UAVs then plant tree seeds in the area with compressed air. Dendra states that with this system, public institutions can spend 10 times less and reforestation 150 times faster, and 500 billion trees can be planted by 2060.
Technological solutions are also being developed for the livestock sector, which is responsible for 14.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Especially solutions for cattle breeding with high methane gas emissions are of great importance. Because methane retains 25 times more heat than carbon dioxide. For example, UK-based Zelp claims to have found a solution to this problem with an electronic product worn in the nose of cows. The device in question decomposes methane, which comes out of the mouth and nose of ruminant cows, with the help of a catalyst, and converts it into water and less harmful carbon dioxide. It is claimed that the device will halve the methane emissions of cattle. New Zealand scientists, on the other hand, are trying to reduce the methane emissions of cattle by inoculating a genetically developed gut microbe into the digestive tract of cows.
Technology Seeks Solutions to Problems It Creates
Technology companies contribute greatly to science in many areas in the fight against climate change. Developed analytical solutions reveal the extent of global climate change, identify greenhouse gas sources and enable realistic predictions to be made. By providing scientists with rapid access to information, new technologies have led to an increase in scientific studies that can contribute to the fight against global climate change, as in materials science.
However, technology companies cause global climate change like everyone else. The electricity consumed by large data centers established by large technology companies is estimated to reach 1 percent of global electricity consumption, and this amount is increasing.
In addition, the solutions brought by technology can also hinder the fight against global climate change. For example, technologies such as artificial intelligence, deep learning and machine learning increase the efficiency of not only "clean" technologies, but also fossil fuel producers and provide them with easier access to such resources. E-commerce platforms and digitalized cargo companies have made the lives of people closed during the pandemic easier, but the carbon emissions of the sector are also increasing rapidly. Electronic garbage has become a serious threat to global climate change.
In contrast, big tech companies are making large-scale investments to become carbon neutral. Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft have made large-scale investments to obtain the electricity needed by their data centers from renewable sources. DeepMind, Google's artificial intelligence center, made the company's data centers efficient and reduced its electricity bill by 40 percent. Logistics and supply chain management systems developed by technology companies try to minimize the environmental impact of digitalized shopping by revealing the most effective and efficient route and distribution planning. Scientists and engineers are developing microchips to decompose and reintroduce e-waste without generating greenhouse gases.
These are just a few of the technological innovations that give us hope to go beyond just preventing disaster and build a more livable world. The climate threat requires urgent solutions, but remains solvable. In the fight against climate change, not only governments, scientists and technology companies, but also other institutions, companies and individuals have a role to play. Everyone needs to have climate goals and take steps in that direction. Country governments can contribute to the fight against global climate change by turning to more renewable energy, companies aiming to zero their carbon footprint, and individuals by choosing energy-efficient energy consumption, consuming less red meat and planting trees.
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