GS Paper 3
Syllabus: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation
Source: TH
Context: While CO2 emissions are the problem, a circular economy could be the solution, at least a partial one.
Why are CO2 emissions the problem?
- As we continue to burn fossil fuels and destroy natural habitats, CO2 continues to accumulate in the atmosphere.
- Heat reflected by the earth doesn’t all escape to space, some of it is trapped by atmospheric CO2 and other GHGs.
- This leads to warmer land and oceans, accelerating ice melt, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events and triggers food shortages, disease, loss of lives and property, forced migrations, etc.
| A linear model of economy | The alternative – the circular model |
| The required natural resources from the ground are taken to make products out of them, used and then thrown away at the end of their lives. | Take, make, use, recycle, reuse. Here, the product life is extended and the waste created is used as a resource to recreate similar or other products. |
| This model is not sustainable | Sustainable. This way, dependence on natural resources can go down without compromising comforts or economic growth. |
The circular economy for carbon dioxide (CO2):
Meaning:
- A circular carbon economy is a framework for managing and reducing emissions.
- It is a closed-loop system involving 4Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle, and remove.
Need for the circular economy for CO2:
- To stop emitting ‘new’ CO2 as well as remove some of the CO2 piled up in the atmosphere.
- For the latter, carbon capture and utilisation techniques are useful.
- These are technologies developed to suck CO2 out of the atmosphere, which can be used to make items such as carbonated drinks, dry ice, and fire retardants, and to synthesise clean high-efficiency fuel.
- The energy transition to renewables is a slow process. The shift to electric vehicles, and decarbonisation (of steel, cement, and plastics manufacturing) will take time.
Challenges towards creating a circular economy for carbon:
- Approaches and methods are not well developed: Some of these are already commercial but only at a small scale, while others are still being prototyped and tested.
- The energy required to capture and repurpose the CO2: More energy is required to capture CO2 and convert it into a litre of fuel than the energy that this new litre of fuel will produce.
- The energy we use to capture and repurpose CO2 should be clean energy.
Way ahead:
- Net-zero CO2 additions can be achieved by using the stock of atmospheric CO2 over and over again.
- The rest of captured CO2 can be stored in the ground and lie there for a long period of time.
Conclusion:
Reducing real and perceived hurdles to Carbon, Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS) by formulating comprehensive strategies is essential for a swift, secure, and sustainable recovery that meets affordable energy access and climate goals.
