Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, remain crucial to our global energy landscape. Despite the advancements and increasing adoption of renewable energy sources, the world still relies heavily on fossil fuels to meet its energy demands. Fossil fuels are indispensable for various industries, providing a stable and high-density energy source that supports manufacturing, transportation, and electricity generation.
The Role of Mining in Extracting Fossil Fuels
Mining plays a vital role in extracting the fossil fuels that power our modern world. Coal mining, for example, requires sophisticated techniques to access deeper underground deposits. These processes involve extensive planning and the use of advanced equipment to ensure safe and efficient extraction of fossil fuels. Gas drainage systems are critical in this context, as they help to safely remove methane and other gases from coal seams before, during, and after mining operations. This not only prevents hazardous conditions that could lead to explosions but also enhances the efficiency of coal extraction.
Deeper Coal Extraction
As easily accessible coal deposits become depleted, the need to mine deeper coal seams becomes more pressing. This requires equipment that can withstand increased pressures and tougher conditions. Innovations in mining technology have made it possible to access these deeper deposits safely and efficiently, ensuring a steady supply of coal for energy production and industrial use.
Climate Change and the Need for Sustainable Development
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Equally important, however, is the need to ensure access to energy for quality of life and economic development. Addressing climate change as part of the sustainable development agenda is critically important. Ongoing progress in the development of new technologies has brought confidence and hope that these objectives will be met in the energy system.
The Promise of Renewable Energy
Dramatic price reductions and technological advancements in wind generators and solar photovoltaics have shown that these renewable energy resources can be important players in global electricity systems. The long-anticipated breakthrough in cost-effective storage technology is expected to shift primary energy mixes substantially. These developments have led to an assumption that we are "done" with fossil fuels across the energy system, that there is no need for further development of new resources, and that we must stop using them as soon as possible. This assumption has also led to a perception of "good" renewables-based technologies versus "bad" fossil fuels-based technologies.
The Reality of Energy Needs
The reality is that this debate is much more nuanced and requires thorough investigation. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology and managing methane emissions throughout the fossil energy value chain can help meet ambitious CO2 emission reduction targets while fossil fuels remain part of the energy system. This approach allows fossil fuels to become "part of the solution" rather than remain "part of the problem." All technologies have a role to play in an energy system guided by rational economics.
The Role of Fossil Fuels in the Current Energy System
Fossil fuels comprise 80 percent of current global primary energy demand, and the energy system is the source of approximately two-thirds of global CO2 emissions. Methane and other short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) emissions are believed to be severely underestimated, likely making energy production and use the source of an even greater share of emissions. Further, much of the biomass fuels are currently used around the world in small-scale heating and cooking, which are highly inefficient and polluting, especially for indoor air quality in many less-developed countries. Renewable biomass used in this way poses a problem for sustainable development.
If current trends continue, and the current share of fossil fuels is maintained while energy demand nearly doubles by 2050, emissions will greatly surpass the amount of carbon that can be emitted if the global average temperature rise is to be limited to 2°C. This level of emissions would have disastrous climate consequences for the planet. There are a number of emission reduction opportunities for the energy sector, notably reducing the amount of energy consumed and reducing the net carbon intensity of the energy sector by fuel switching and controlling CO2 emissions.
Balancing Emissions Reduction with Fossil Fuel Use
The need to reduce emissions does not preclude the use of fossil fuels, but it does require a significant change in direction; business as usual is not consistent with decreasing emissions in global energy systems. Energy efficiency and renewables are often positioned as the only solutions needed to meet climate goals in the energy system, but they are not enough. Including an expansion of the use of CCS will be essential, and this technology is expected to result in 16 percent of annual emissions reduction by 2050. The Fifth Assessment Synthesis Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that limiting energy sector emissions without CCS would increase the cost of climate mitigation by 138 percent.
Renewables cannot be used uniformly across the energy system to replace the use of fossil fuels today, mostly because of the variance in the ability of different energy subsectors to switch from fossil fuels to renewables. For example, in some industrial applications such as cement and steel production, emissions come from both the energy use and the production process. Alternative technologies that can replace current production techniques are not yet available at the scale needed, so it is expected that these techniques will persist in the short to medium term. In these cases, CCS can provide a solution consistent with current demands and give the time needed to develop future alternative approaches.
Sustainable Practices and Policy Recommendations
Scenarios that foresee the use of CCS are associated with a significant transformation of the energy system in response to climate change. These scenarios show a significant decrease in total global fossil fuels consumption, as well as a significant increase in efficiency across electricity production and industrial processes. This transformation of the energy system supports all technologies instrumental for developing a sustainable energy system.
UNECE Recommendations on CCS
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) member States endorsed a set of recommendations on CCS in November 2014 following extensive consultations with experts from around the world. The recommendations emphasise that an international climate agreement should:
Accept a broad array of fiscal instruments to encourage CCS.
Address capturing and storing carbon dioxide from all industrial sectors, including cement, steel, chemicals, refining, and power production.
Ensure that Governments work together to sponsor and support multiple demonstration projects at scale.
Allow carbon dioxide injected into reservoirs for enhanced hydrocarbon recovery to be treated and calculated as storage if stored permanently.
These recommendations, if implemented, allow United Nations Member States that still depend heavily on fossil fuels to engage in global efforts to reduce the consequences of climate change, instead of being seen as only contributing to the problem. The technology has been proven at scale in Canada, Norway, and the United States of America, with some 40 projects at various stages of development worldwide. Near-term efforts on CCS are essential to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and better map storage options to ensure this technology is available for large-scale deployment starting in 2025.
Addressing Methane Emissions
CO2 emissions are not the only issue that needs to be addressed in the use of fossil fuels. The fossil fuel value chain, across natural gas, coal, and oil production and use, is estimated to emit 110 million tons of methane annually. This represents a large share of all methane emissions. As a powerful greenhouse gas, methane emissions must be significantly reduced.
Methane is a primary component of natural gas, with some emitted to the atmosphere during natural gas production, processing, storage, transmission, and distribution. Around 8 percent of total worldwide natural gas production is lost annually to venting, leakage, and flaring, resulting in substantial economic and environmental costs. During the geological process of coal formation, pockets of methane get trapped around and within the rock. Coal mining-related activities release some of the trapped methane. As with coal, the geological formation of oil can also create large methane deposits that are released during drilling and extraction. The production, refinement, transportation, and storage of oil are also sources of methane emissions, as is the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. No combustion process is perfectly efficient, so when fossil fuels are used to generate electricity, heat, or power vehicles, they all contribute as sources of methane emissions.
The key challenges for methane management are to monitor and record emissions accurately using the best monitoring and measurement technology and then apply the best fixes to minimise leaks and emissions. This will offer economic benefits, while decreasing health impacts, increasing safety, and reducing global warming. The multiple benefits of managing methane emissions are compelling, but more work is needed to demonstrate adequate progress in this space.
The Role of Stakeholders in Sustainable Energy
Addressing the issue of sustainable energy requires engaging the broadest possible group of stakeholders. Ignoring the role of fossil fuels will have a negative effect. Many developing countries have large untapped fossil fuel resources that they intend to use to develop their respective economies. Insisting that they incur significant costs and forego the use of these resources in favour of renewables is likely to create unneeded tensions. The argument is made that the developed world built its existing economies on fossil fuels and still heavily relies on them. Rather than a “non-fossil” only agenda, a more pragmatic approach that encourages all to use the broad range of resources available to them (i.e., energy efficiency, renewables, and fossil fuels in a sustainable manner) will create a more balanced approach.
The other stakeholder group often vilified is the private sector, especially actors in the fossil fuel industry. The private sector holds the expertise and often the financial resources to support the needed change to the inclusive green economy that the world is seeking. Using the balance sheets of the big players along with their knowledge and know-how can facilitate the transition; treating them like pariahs will make the journey harder and more expensive.
Ensuring Sustainable Development with Fossil Fuels
The persistent critical challenge is to ensure an improved quality of life and economic growth while reducing the environmental footprint of the energy sector. The transition to a sustainable energy system is an opportunity to improve energy efficiency from source to use, minimise environmental impacts, reduce energy and carbon intensities, and correct energy market failures. Seizing the opportunity will require coordinated policy review and reform across many sectors. The UNECE region has the potential for competitive economic advantage compared to other regions of the world, given the relatively modest distances between energy supply sources and energy demand centres. Full integration of the region’s energy markets within an efficient framework would significantly improve the technical, social, economic and environmental contribution that energy could make.
Building a sustainable energy system for the future in the UNECE region will involve a substantial transition from what is in place today. Improving efficiency relates not only to consumer-level energy issues (such as energy-efficient housing, vehicles and appliances), but also to upstream energy efficiency in production/generation, transmission and distribution. It is an opportunity to accelerate the change from the traditional model of selling energy commodities to one of providing energy services based on innovation.
The development of smart energy networks with common rules of operation provides an important opportunity to enhance the collaboration among technologies, thereby enhancing the cost-effective penetration of the broadest range of low-carbon technologies and improving the resilience of the energy system. Fossil fuels will be part of the global energy system for decades to come—whether we like it or not. It will continue to underpin social and economic development around the world. From that perspective, it is essential that we have an open and transparent discussion on the role of fossil fuels in sustainable energy systems globally in the creation of practical climate strategies. It is especially important to engage emerging economies and developing countries in the context of the twenty-first session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This could change the political dynamics and help to shape a strong climate agreement in Paris.
Spot On Hose and Fittings: Supporting the Mining Industry
At Spot On Hose and Fittings, we understand the critical role that mining plays in sustaining our energy infrastructure. Our comprehensive range of hydraulic solutions is designed to enhance the safety and efficiency of mining operations. From robust hydraulic hoses and reliable valves to durable adaptors and protective accessories, our products are engineered to withstand the harsh conditions of mining environments, ensuring optimal performance and longevity. By providing advanced solutions for gas drainage and deeper coal extraction, we help ensure the ongoing availability of the fossil fuels that power our world.
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