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This Changes Everything

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Climate change mitigation (or decarbonisation ) is action to limit the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that cause climate change . Climate change mitigation actions include conserving energy and replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources . Secondary mitigation strategies include changes to land use and removing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere. Current climate change mitigation policies are insufficient as they would still result in global warming of about 2.7 °C by 2100, significantly above the 2015 Paris Agreement 's goal of limiting global warming to below 2 °C.

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59-524: This Changes Everything may refer to: This Changes Everything (book) , a 2014 book about climate change and economics by Naomi Klein This Changes Everything (2015 film) , a film by Avi Lewis based on the book This Changes Everything (2018 film) , a film on sexism in Hollywood by Tom Donahue This Changes Everything (album) ,

118-435: A critic of capitalism . The reason is climate change, including the fact that we have waited too long to address it, and the reality that nothing short of an ecological revolution will now do the job. The book won the 2014 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction and was a shortlisted for the 2015 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing . A documentary based on the book, titled This Changes Everything ,

177-416: A plant-based diet , having fewer children, using clothes and electrical products for longer, and electrifying homes. These approaches are more practical for people in high-income countries with high-consumption lifestyles. Naturally, it is more difficult for those with lower income statuses to make these changes. This is because choices like electric-powered cars may not be available. Excessive consumption

236-559: A 2016 album by Cana's Voice This Changes Everything , a 2016 album by Jim Lauderdale Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title This Changes Everything . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=This_Changes_Everything&oldid=1233170665 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

295-487: A Green New Deal , Eric Klinenberg notes that This Changes Everything had "become a touchstone of progressive climate activism. It's the single strongest statement we have for why carbon-fueled capitalism (or ' extractivism ') with its imperative of relentless growth and exploitation, is fundamentally incompatible with ecological sensibility and climate justice ." In his 2020 book The Citizen's Guide to Climate Success: Overcoming Myths That Hinder Progress , Mark Jaccard

354-636: A bigger effect than population growth. Rising incomes, changes in consumption and dietary patterns, as well as population growth, cause pressure on land and other natural resources. This leads to more greenhouse gas emissions and fewer carbon sinks. Some scholars have argued that humane policies to slow population growth should be part of a broad climate response together with policies that end fossil fuel use and encourage sustainable consumption. Advances in female education and reproductive health , especially voluntary family planning , can contribute to reducing population growth. An important mitigation measure

413-495: A carbon death spiral, and how small bands of activists are fighting worldwide to stop it, against increasingly punishing repression." In The New York Times Book Review , Rob Nixon wrote that This Changes Everything was "the most momentous and contentious environmental book since Silent Spring ." It was also included on The New York Times' list of 100 notable books for 2014. In a New York Review of Books discussion on her subsequent book, On Fire: The (Burning) Case for

472-534: A climate mitigation option. The terminology in this area is still evolving. Experts sometimes use the term geoengineering or climate engineering in the scientific literature for both CDR or SRM, if the techniques are used at a global scale. IPCC reports no longer use the terms geoengineering or climate engineering . GHG emissions 2020 by gas type without land-use change using 100 year GWP Total: 49.8 GtCO 2 e CO 2 emissions by fuel type Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen

531-656: A definitive or detailed evaluation of most goals set for 2020. But it appears the world failed to meet most or all international goals set for that year. One update came during the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow. The group of researchers running the Climate Action Tracker looked at countries responsible for 85% of greenhouse gas emissions. It found that only four countries or political entities—the EU, UK, Chile and Costa Rica—have published

590-540: A detailed official policy‑plan that describes the steps to realise 2030 mitigation targets. These four polities are responsible for 6% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2021 the US and EU launched the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030. The UK, Argentina, Indonesia, Italy and Mexico joined the initiative. Ghana and Iraq signaled interest in joining. A White House summary of

649-444: A greenhouse gas, an aerosol or a precursor of a greenhouse gas from the atmosphere". Globally, the two most important carbon sinks are vegetation and the ocean . To enhance the ability of ecosystems to sequester carbon, changes are necessary in agriculture and forestry. Examples are preventing deforestation and restoring natural ecosystems by reforestation . Scenarios that limit global warming to 1.5 °C typically project

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708-402: A low efficiency of less than 50%. Large amounts of heat in power plants and in motors of vehicles go to waste. The actual amount of energy consumed is significantly lower at 116,000 TWh. Energy conservation is the effort made to reduce the consumption of energy by using less of an energy service. One way is to use energy more efficiently . This means using less energy than before to produce

767-481: A lower status. If they reduce their emissions and promote green policies, these people could become low-carbon lifestyle role models. However, there are many psychological variables that influence consumers. These include awareness and perceived risk. Government policies can support or hinder demand-side mitigation options. For example, public policy can promote circular economy concepts which would support climate change mitigation. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions

826-592: A major increase in the use of renewable energy in combination with increased energy efficiency measures. It will be necessary to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy six-fold from 0.25% annual growth in 2015 to 1.5% to keep global warming under 2 °C. The competitiveness of renewable energy is a key to a rapid deployment. In 2020, onshore wind and solar photovoltaics were the cheapest source for new bulk electricity generation in many regions. Renewables may have higher storage costs but non-renewables may have higher clean-up costs. A carbon price can increase

885-464: A more efficient technology or production process. Another way is to use commonly accepted methods to reduce energy losses. Individual action on climate change can include personal choices in many areas. These include diet, travel, household energy use, consumption of goods and services, and family size. People who wish to reduce their carbon footprint can take high-impact actions such as avoiding frequent flying and petrol-fuelled cars, eating mainly

944-552: A plant-based diet, vast amounts of land used for animal agriculture could be allowed to return to their natural state . This in turn has the potential to sequester 100 billion tonnes of CO 2 by the end of the century. A comprehensive analysis found that plant based diets reduce emissions, water pollution and land use significantly (by 75%), while reducing the destruction of wildlife and usage of water. Population growth has resulted in higher greenhouse gas emissions in most regions, particularly Africa. However, economic growth has

1003-561: A range of power sources. Energy storage can also be used to even out power output, and demand management can limit power use when power generation is low. Cleanly generated electricity can usually replace fossil fuels for powering transportation, heating buildings, and running industrial processes. Certain processes are more difficult to decarbonise, such as air travel and cement production . Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can be an option to reduce net emissions in these circumstances, although fossil fuel power plants with CCS technology

1062-432: Is coal-fired power stations with 20% of greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation and other changes in land use also emit carbon dioxide and methane. The largest sources of anthropogenic methane emissions are agriculture , and gas venting and fugitive emissions from the fossil-fuel industry. The largest agricultural methane source is livestock. Agricultural soils emit nitrous oxide , partly due to fertilizers. There

1121-539: Is pumped-storage hydroelectricity . This requires locations with large differences in height and access to water. Batteries are also in wide use. They typically store electricity for short periods. Batteries have low energy density . This and their cost makes them impractical for the large energy storage necessary to balance inter-seasonal variations in energy production. Some locations have implemented pumped hydro storage with capacity for multi-month usage. Nuclear power could complement renewables for electricity. On

1180-460: Is "preserving and enhancing carbon sinks ". This refers to the management of Earth's natural carbon sinks in a way that preserves or increases their capability to remove CO 2 from the atmosphere and to store it durably. Scientists call this process also carbon sequestration . In the context of climate change mitigation, the IPCC defines a sink as "Any process, activity or mechanism which removes

1239-695: Is by reducing the demand by improving infrastructure, by building a good public transport network, for example. Lastly, changes in end-use technology can reduce energy demand. For instance a well-insulated house emits less than a poorly-insulated house. Mitigation options that reduce demand for products or services help people make personal choices to reduce their carbon footprint . This could be in their choice of transport or food. So these mitigation options have many social aspects that focus on demand reduction; they are therefore demand-side mitigation actions . For example, people with high socio-economic status often cause more greenhouse gas emissions than those from

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1298-413: Is competitive with other electricity generation technologies if long term costs for nuclear waste disposal are excluded from the calculation. There is also no sufficient financial insurance for nuclear accidents. Switching from coal to natural gas has advantages in terms of sustainability. For a given unit of energy produced, the life-cycle greenhouse-gas emissions of natural gas are around 40 times

1357-572: Is critical of Klein's assertion that capitalism must be abolished in order to solve the climate crisis. Instead Jaccard asserts that solving climate change is completely possible in capitalist economies and that all progress on climate thus far has been made in mixed-capitalist economies. He says that abolishing capitalism is actually only Klein's preferred path to solving climate change and not essential to solving climate change as Klein declares. While acknowledging that there may be good reasons to "change everything" about capitalism, Jaccard resists that it

1416-420: Is currently a high cost climate change mitigation strategy. Human land use changes such as agriculture and deforestation cause about 1/4th of climate change. These changes impact how much CO 2 is absorbed by plant matter and how much organic matter decays or burns to release CO 2 . These changes are part of the fast carbon cycle , whereas fossil fuels release CO 2 that was buried underground as part of

1475-563: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages This Changes Everything (book) This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate is Naomi Klein 's fourth book; it was published in 2014 by Simon & Schuster . Klein argues that the climate crisis cannot be addressed in the current era of neoliberal market fundamentalism , which encourages profligate consumption and has resulted in mega-mergers and trade agreements hostile to

1534-411: Is found for reducing deforestation in tropical regions. The economic potential of these activities has been estimated to be 4.2 to 7.4 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO 2 -eq) per year. The Stern Review on the economics of climate change stated in 2007 that curbing deforestation was a highly cost-effective way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. About 95% of deforestation occurs in

1593-621: Is higher in the winter when PV output is low. For this reason, combinations of wind and solar power lead to better-balanced systems. Other well-established renewable energy forms include hydropower, bioenergy and geothermal energy. Wind and solar power production does not consistently match demand. To deliver reliable electricity from variable renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, electrical power systems must be flexible. Most electrical grids were constructed for non-intermittent energy sources such as coal-fired power plants. The integration of larger amounts of solar and wind energy into

1652-404: Is linked to the sharing economy . There is a debate regarding the correlation of economic growth and emissions. It seems economic growth no longer necessarily means higher emissions. Global primary energy demand exceeded 161,000 terawatt hours (TWh) in 2018. This refers to electricity, transport and heating including all losses. In transport and electricity production, fossil fuel usage has

1711-652: Is more to blame for climate change than population increase. High-consumption lifestyles have a greater environmental impact, with the richest 10% of people emitting about half the total lifestyle emissions. Some scientists say that avoiding meat and dairy foods is the single biggest way an individual can reduce their environmental impact. The widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet could cut food-related greenhouse gas emissions by 63% by 2050. China introduced new dietary guidelines in 2016 which aim to cut meat consumption by 50% and thereby reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1   Gt per year by 2030. Overall, food accounts for

1770-530: Is now a political solution to the problem of fluorinated gases from refrigerants . This is because many countries have ratified the Kigali Amendment . Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is the dominant emitted greenhouse gas. Methane ( CH 4 ) emissions almost have the same short-term impact. Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and fluorinated gases (F-Gases) play a minor role. Livestock and manure produce 5.8% of all greenhouse gas emissions. But this depends on

1829-416: Is overcoming environmental objections when constructing new clean energy sources and making grid modifications. Climate change mitigation aims to sustain ecosystems to maintain human civilisation . This requires drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions . The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) defines mitigation (of climate change) as "a human intervention to reduce emissions or enhance

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1888-488: Is possible to shift energy demand in time. Energy demand management and the use of smart grids make it possible to match the times when variable energy production is highest. Sector coupling can provide further flexibility. This involves coupling the electricity sector to the heat and mobility sector via power-to-heat -systems and electric vehicles. Energy storage helps overcome barriers to intermittent renewable energy. The most commonly used and available storage method

1947-423: Is the best way to solve the current climate crisis. This Changes Everything was also reviewed across different scholarly disciplines in the academic literature, with Australian business professor, Christopher Wright, commenting: This is a book that should be read by everyone with an interest in climate politics, the contradictions of capitalism and our increasingly precarious existence on this planet. In

2006-509: Is the process of reducing the amount of energy required to provide products and services. Improved energy efficiency in buildings ("green buildings"), industrial processes and transportation could reduce the world's energy needs in 2050 by one third. This would help reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases. For example, insulating a building allows it to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain thermal comfort. Improvements in energy efficiency are generally achieved by adopting

2065-793: The Monthly Review , Professors John Bellamy Foster and Brett Clark provided detailed counter-arguments in response to what they term are the "liberal critics" of the book. They also praised the book, writing: Klein, who in No Logo ushered in a new generational critique of commodity culture, and who in The Shock Doctrine established herself as perhaps the most prominent North American critic of neoliberal disaster capitalism, signals that she has now, in William Morris 's famous metaphor, crossed "the river of fire" to become

2124-616: The greenhouse effect . This contributes to climate change . Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels : coal, oil, and natural gas. Human-caused emissions have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide by about 50% over pre-industrial levels. Emissions in the 2010s averaged a record 56 billion tons (Gt) a year. In 2016, energy for electricity, heat and transport was responsible for 73.2% of GHG emissions. Direct industrial processes accounted for 5.2%, waste for 3.2% and agriculture, forestry and land use for 18.4%. Electricity generation and transport are major emitters. The largest single source

2183-827: The sinks of greenhouse gases ". It is possible to approach various mitigation measures in parallel. This is because there is no single pathway to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 °C. There are four types of measures: The IPCC defined carbon dioxide removal as "Anthropogenic activities removing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from the atmosphere and durably storing it in geological, terrestrial, or ocean reservoirs, or in products. It includes existing and potential anthropogenic enhancement of biological or geochemical CO 2 sinks and direct air carbon dioxide capture and storage (DACCS), but excludes natural CO 2 uptake not directly caused by human activities." While solar radiation modification (SRM) could reduce surface temperatures, it temporarily masks climate change rather than addressing

2242-569: The 1990s. A different technology is concentrated solar power (CSP). This uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate a large area of sunlight on to a receiver. With CSP, the energy can be stored for a few hours. This provides supply in the evening. Solar water heating doubled between 2010 and 2019. Regions in the higher northern and southern latitudes have the greatest potential for wind power. Offshore wind farms are more expensive. But offshore units deliver more energy per installed capacity with less fluctuations. In most regions, wind power generation

2301-405: The 2022 IPCC report on mitigation. The abbreviation stands for "agriculture, forestry and other land use" The report described the economic mitigation potential from relevant activities around forests and ecosystems as follows: "the conservation, improved management, and restoration of forests and other ecosystems (coastal wetlands, peatlands , savannas and grasslands)". A high mitigation potential

2360-655: The ability of oceans and land sinks to absorb these gases. Short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs) persist in the atmosphere for a period ranging from days to 15 years. Carbon dioxide can remain in the atmosphere for millennia. Short-lived climate pollutants include methane , hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) , tropospheric ozone and black carbon . Scientists increasingly use satellites to locate and measure greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. Earlier, scientists largely relied on or calculated estimates of greenhouse gas emissions and governments' self-reported data. The annual "Emissions Gap Report" by UNEP stated in 2022 that it

2419-478: The advantages of switching away from coal. The technology to curb methane leaks is widely available but it is not always used. Reducing demand for products and services that cause greenhouse gas emissions can help in mitigating climate change. One is to reduce demand by behavioural and cultural changes , for example by making changes in diet, especially the decision to reduce meat consumption, an effective action individuals take to fight climate change . Another

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2478-478: The competitiveness of renewable energy. Wind and sun can provide large amounts of low-carbon energy at competitive production costs. The IPCC estimates that these two mitigation options have the largest potential to reduce emissions before 2030 at low cost. Solar photovoltaics (PV) has become the cheapest way to generate electricity in many regions of the world. The growth of photovoltaics has been close to exponential. It has about doubled every three years since

2537-425: The emissions of wind or nuclear energy but are much less than coal. Burning natural gas produces around half the emissions of coal when used to generate electricity and around two-thirds the emissions of coal when used to produce heat. Natural gas combustion also produces less air pollution than coal. However, natural gas is a potent greenhouse gas in itself, and leaks during extraction and transportation can negate

2596-509: The grid requires a change of the energy system; this is necessary to ensure that the supply of electricity matches demand. There are various ways to make the electricity system more flexible. In many places, wind and solar generation are complementary on a daily and a seasonal scale. There is more wind during the night and in winter when solar energy production is low. Linking different geographical regions through long-distance transmission lines also makes it possible to reduce variability. It

2655-462: The health of the environment. Klein spent five years writing the book, which debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at number five on 5 October 2014. The book is credited with popularising the anti-extractivist Blockadia movement. In Rolling Stone , Roy Scranton wrote that the book "superbly dramatizes the seemingly intractable ways that global capitalism is locked into

2714-402: The large-scale use of carbon dioxide removal methods over the 21st century. There are concerns about over-reliance on these technologies, and their environmental impacts. But ecosystem restoration and reduced conversion are among the mitigation tools that can yield the most emissions reductions before 2030. Land-based mitigation options are referred to as "AFOLU mitigation options" in

2773-428: The largest share of consumption-based greenhouse gas emissions. It is responsible for nearly 20% of the global carbon footprint. Almost 15% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions have been attributed to the livestock sector. A shift towards plant-based diets would help to mitigate climate change. In particular, reducing meat consumption would help to reduce methane emissions. If high-income nations switched to

2832-655: The meeting noted those countries represent six of the top 15 methane emitters globally. Israel also joined the initiative. The energy system includes the delivery and use of energy. It is the main emitter of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). Rapid and deep reductions in the carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector are necessary to limit global warming to well below 2 °C. IPCC recommendations include reducing fossil fuel consumption, increasing production from low- and zero carbon energy sources, and increasing use of electricity and alternative energy carriers. Nearly all scenarios and strategies involve

2891-495: The other hand, environmental and security risks could outweigh the benefits. The construction of new nuclear reactors currently takes about 10 years. This is much longer than scaling up the deployment of wind and solar. And this timing gives rise to credit risks. However nuclear may be much cheaper in China. China is building a significant number of new power plants. As of 2019 the cost of extending nuclear power plant lifetimes

2950-512: The pledges for 2030. The rise would be 2.1 °C with the achievement of the long-term targets too. Full achievement of all announced targets would mean the rise in global temperature will peak at 1.9 °C and go down to 1.8 °C by the year 2100. Experts gather information about climate pledges in the Global Climate Action Portal - Nazca . The scientific community is checking their fulfilment. There has not been

3009-456: The root cause, which is greenhouse gases. SRM would work by altering how much solar radiation the Earth absorbs. Examples include reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the surface, reducing the optical thickness and lifetime of clouds, and changing the ability of the surface to reflect radiation. The IPCC describes SRM as a climate risk reduction strategy or supplementary option rather than

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3068-437: The same service. Another way is to reduce the amount of service used. An example of this would be to drive less. Energy conservation is at the top of the sustainable energy hierarchy . When consumers reduce wastage and losses they can conserve energy. The upgrading of technology as well as the improvements to operations and maintenance can result in overall efficiency improvements. Efficient energy use (or energy efficiency )

3127-849: The slow carbon cycle. Methane is a short lived greenhouse gas that is produced by decaying organic matter and livestock, as well as fossil fuel extraction. Land use changes can also impact precipitation patterns and the reflectivity of the surface of the Earth . It is possible to cut emissions from agriculture by reducing food waste , switching to a more plant-based diet (also referred to as low-carbon diet ), and by improving farming processes. Various policies can encourage climate change mitigation. Carbon pricing systems have been set up that either tax CO 2 emissions or cap total emissions and trade emission credits . Fossil fuel subsidies can be eliminated in favor of clean energy subsidies , and incentives offered for installing energy efficiency measures or switching to electric power sources. Another issue

3186-542: The time frame used to calculate the global warming potential of the respective gas. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are measured in CO 2 equivalents . Scientists determine their CO 2 equivalents from their global warming potential (GWP). This depends on their lifetime in the atmosphere. There are widely used greenhouse gas accounting methods that convert volumes of methane, nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases to carbon dioxide equivalents . Estimates largely depend on

3245-401: The tropics, where clearing of land for agriculture is one of the main causes. One forest conservation strategy is to transfer rights over land from public ownership to its indigenous inhabitants. Land concessions often go to powerful extractive companies. Conservation strategies that exclude and even evict humans, called fortress conservation , often lead to more exploitation of the land. This

3304-527: The words of Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres : "Main emitters must drastically cut emissions starting this year". Climate Action Tracker described the situation on 9 November 2021 as follows. The global temperature will rise by 2.7 °C by the end of the century with current policies and by 2.9 °C with nationally adopted policies. The temperature will rise by 2.4 °C if countries only implement

3363-481: The world should focus on broad-based economy-wide transformations and not incremental change. In 2022, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Sixth Assessment Report on climate change. It warned that greenhouse gas emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43% by 2030 to have a good chance of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F). Or in

3422-476: Was directed by Avi Lewis and produced by Alfonso Cuaron and Joslyn Barnes . Additionally, Seth MacFarlane and Danny Glover shared producer credits. Climate change mitigation Solar energy and wind power can replace fossil fuels at the lowest cost compared to other renewable energy options. The availability of sunshine and wind is variable and can require electrical grid upgrades, such as using long-distance electricity transmission to group

3481-399: Was necessary to almost halve emissions. "To get on track for limiting global warming to 1.5°C, global annual GHG emissions must be reduced by 45 per cent compared with emissions projections under policies currently in place in just eight years, and they must continue to decline rapidly after 2030, to avoid exhausting the limited remaining atmospheric carbon budget ." The report commented that

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