It is so brilliant when our students take an interest in areas that go beyond the four wall of East Barnet School, and it was so encouraging to see that Amile who was was in Year 8 at the time, wanted to send this letter on climate change to the newly elected MP, Dan Tomlinson.
Amile’s letter can be read below, including the response she received from Dan Tomlinson MP.
Well done, Amile, we are so proud of you for standing up for the world!
Dear Dan Tomlinson,
I hope this letter finds you well. My name is Amile Siekstelyte, I am 13 years of age and currently attending East Barnet School. I have some serious concerns about climate change and feel as though not enough action is being taken. I stand for the young generation who will be affected the most in the coming years. We will live with the devastating news of knowing no one ever helped to mitigate the damage. I am writing to you to show you the growing concern (that you may be aware of however). I do believe not enough action is being taken about CO2 emissions. It is especially concerning to read Lord Goldsmith’s resignation letter. It made it seem as though the government is simply apathetic about this extremely concerning topic. I do hope you will prove me wrong.
The government is to be congratulated on how wonderful it is that you already have planned to cut CO2 emissions from manufactoring by two thirds, by the year 2035. However, more action must be taken. Especially now. Unfortunately, the UK is ranked 17th in the world of global CO2 emissions. It truly breaks my heart every time I think of my future children and must look them in the eyes and say that housing will never be affordable for the working class, and I must explain why. Explain that because the government did nothing, there was no change and cities drowned in floods over and over leading to ongoing misery. It is unfortunate but it is the truth! This is worrying, especially when you think how this could affect people. I think you and I can both agree its time action is taken! There are 195 countries on our precious planet and where we rank is concerning to say the least. The latest year for which all three measures are available, territorial emissions were 404 million Tonnes of CO2 equivalent (mt CO2e), residence emissions 489 mt CO2e, and footprint emissions 582 mt CO2e. All three emission measures have declined compared to 1990, the first year for which data are available. However, ending CO2 over all would be just as catastrophic as having too much; without carbon dioxide, Earth’s natural greenhouse effect would be too weak to keep the average global surface temperature above freezing. By adding more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, people are supercharging the natural greenhouse effect, causing global temperature to rise. Temperatures rising would mean that the polar ice caps would melt. This would mean sea levels would rise. They are currently rising at 3.6mm (about 0.14 in) per year. As global sea levels continue to swell, a new study has found that 200,000 homes and businesses in England could be completely submerged in water by 2050. In fact, sea levels around the English coast are forecast to be around 35cm (about 1.15 ft) higher by 2050.
The 200,000 homes would hold the 200,000 families this will affect, which would be devastating. Could you imagine how that may affect the homeless population or the lives it will ruin? According to the journal Oceans and Coastal Management some of the areas at risk of being underwater or constantly flooded include Hapsburg in Norfolk, Faley in North Yorkshire, and Camber in East Sussex. Meanwhile, parts of Yorkshire, Wales and West Sussex could also be swallowed by rising water levels, along with local railways, farmland, and popular holiday resorts. The action of this repeated flooding would mean once the buildings are rebuilt, they will be re flooded and this will become an endless cycle.
Earlier research by Climate Central earlier this year also found that Portsmouth, Chichester in West Sussex, and Kensington and Chelsea in London could be at risk of severe flooding by 2050. That may seem like a long time away, however it is not, and it is about time we changed that. This research is clear proof of the catastrophic events that will occur if action is not taken.
Cutting CO2 Emissions through reducing lights
However, all is not lost, and these places can still be saved but only by immediate action. A straightforward way to achieve this is by saving energy, this includes turning off lights, street lamps turned on later due to the sun being out for longer in the dangerously warm summer. The switch from gas discharge lamps that are currently being used to led would
- Be cheaper
- Be better for the environment
- Be brighter for the same amount of light
- Last longer
This is just to name a few of the many positive impacts this would have. The sunrise in the summer is 20:44 and sunset being 5:09. The length between these two times is nine hours and forty-four minutes a day when the streetlamps are on. There are 6.5 million street lamps in the UK, currently and with the shrinking rural population this will only increase. I think you can agree with me that energy use is not good for our precious environment and costs will be high. Switching from gas discharge lamps to LED will mean prices go down for you and the money saved can be used to improve our healthcare, education system and public transportation (if transportation is improved CO2 emissions will be lowered).
This would reduce the UKs contribution to global CO2 emissions would be significant and would influence other countries like Ireland, Whales, and America to follow suit.
Reduce CO2 using Direct Air Capture
Another way to save energy is direct air capture. But what is that? Direct air capture (DAC for simplicity) technologies extract CO2 directly from the atmosphere for CO2 storage or use. Twenty-seven DAC plants have been commissioned to date worldwide, capturing almost 0.01 Mt CO2/year. Plans for at least large-scale (> 1000 Tonnes CO2 pear year) 130 DAC facilities are now at various stages of development.1 If all were to advance (even those only at the concept stage), DAC deployment would nearly reach the level required in 2030 under the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 (NZE (Net Zero Emissions)) Scenario, or around 65 MtCO2/year. Lead times for DAC plants range from two to six years, suggesting that deployment in line with the NZE Scenario could be achieved with adequate policy support. However, most of the facilities announced to date are at preliminary stages of development and cannot be expected to reach final investment decision (FID) and operational status without continued development of market mechanisms and policies to create demand for the CO2 removal service they would provide. This includes 1 Point Five and Carbon Engineering (now Oxy)’s announcement to deploy 100 dac facilities by 2035. Carbon removal technologies such as DAC are not an alternative to cutting emissions or an excuse for delayed action, but they can be an important for the reduction on CO2 emissions
In the near term, large-scale demonstration of DAC technologies will require targeted government support, including through grants, tax credits and public procurement of CO2 removal. Technology deployment is currently receiving help from corporate-sector initiatives and pledges to become net zero or even carbon negative through the voluntary market.
However, longer-term deployment opportunities will be intricately linked to robust CO2 pricing mechanisms and accounting frameworks that recognize and value the negative emissions associated with storing CO2 captured from the atmosphere.
Governments should continue to support the development of high-integrity mechanisms to check, report, and certify units of CO2 removal generated by DAC facilities. This also needs to be incorporated within larger efforts to evaluate, certify, and incentivize other forms of CDR equal with their prospective climate impacts.
As an increasing number of countries make net zero pledges, the focus of decision makers has shifted to how to turn these pledges into clear and credible policy actions and strategies. To date, very few states and companies have developed detailed strategies or pathways to achieve their net zero goals. One example is California, which in November 2022 updated its Ccto inutility planulae targets for carbon removal, prompting the introduction of new legislation aiming to expand California’s carbon removal capacity. In addition, at the national level, the United States launched a USD 35 million CRD purchase prized pilot the first initiative by the federal government to directly buy CDR from domestic providers.
A critical question for all countries is the extent to which net zero strategies will need to rely on CDR approaches alongside direct emission reductions. DAC and other CDR approaches are part of the portfolio of technologies and measures needed in a comprehensive response to climate change. Promoting transparency and planning for the expected role of CDR in net zero strategies can support the identification of technology, policy and market needs within countries and regions while supporting public understanding of these approaches.
Additionally, more work is needed to differentiate emissions reductions and avoided emissions from carbon removals to align with scientific recommendations. This should be incorporated in climate targets and policy and reflected in the establishment of different credit categories for carbon markets for effective climate action.
The speed at which the clean energy grid is built out in locations suitable for geologic carbon storage will be a significant determinant of DAC deployment across all areas of the globe. Currently, the United States is discussing expedited permitting for certain clean energy transmission projects, as well as other ways to streamline interagency permitting for delivering low-emissions electricity to the grid. Lengthy grid permitting processes could become an important obstacle to the scale-up of DAC.
Priority innovation needs for DAC include:
- Reducing the energy needed to separate CO2 through emerging separation technologies and approaches able to regenerate the solvent at low to medium temperatures. Innovation in separation solvents and sorbents with lower heat requirements is occurring all around the globe in universities, national labs, and corporate providers, but even for the most promising and commercially available new sorbents, a well-established and diverse supply chain is currently lacking.
- Advancing engineering maturity and market conditions to support the availability of renewables-based high-temperature heat to maximize the carbon removal potential of L-DAC and offer an alternative to current designs based on capture of CO2 from natural gas.
- Reducing the cost of large-scale opportunities to use air-captured CO2, particularly for synthetic fuels and for construction materials.
- Increasing RD&D spending to drive innovation in DAC technologies at a national and global level will be essential in the near term.
For DAC technologies, international cooperation can drive faster deployment and accelerated cost reductions through shared knowledge and reduced duplication of research efforts. International co-operation can also support the development and harmonization of LCA methodologies for DAC technologies. International organizations and initiatives such as the IEA, Mission Innovation CDR Mission, the Clean Energy Ministerial CCUS Initiative, and the Technology Collaboration Programmed on Greenhouse Gas R&D (GHG TCP/IEAGHG) can provide important platforms for knowledge-sharing and collaboration.
EBS Eco promise
Our school is dedicated to being eco-friendly by the installation of solar panels. We have been given a grant to build them, however it unfortunately is not enough. If you could help fundraise or speak with local business to support our cause, our entire school and community would appreciate it.
Overall, I believe with your power, resources and influence you can save thousands of lives from worst case scenario death at the least homelessness and immiseration. You can say I improved the lives of many. No, not just lives but future generations on our precious planet! Everything in my letter today is proof that there is a large climate issue that must be addressed and how to address it. I put my trust in your hands as well as my faith that you and the government will help change the lives of many. I know I and thousands of others will agree with me and shall also say action must be taken. I look forward to your reply and consideration on this matter.
Yours sincerely,
Amile Siekstelyte
