Celebrated every 21st of September, Zero Emissions Day is a global campaign for the world to cease the use of fossil fuels for a day. Four guidelines have been set to celebrate the day:
First, one shouldn’t use oil, gas or coal for the next 24 hours. Second, they should eliminate their use of electricity, unless generated by renewable resources. Third, use may continue for essential and emergency services. And lastly, enjoy the day!
The World Zero Emissions Day is not only a campaign to reduce the use of fossil fuels but also a campaign to raise awareness of our consumption of these non-renewable resources. Everyone is encouraged to lessen their own personal use of electricity and persuade authorities to commit to using sustainable energy.
Why is it so important to make the switch to renewable resources instead? Fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal are finite. The amount of resources that are consumed on a yearly basis leaves future generations with barely anything left for them to use. It also contributes heavily to climate change. In fact, one of the primary causes of the increase of carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere include human activities such as burning of fossil fuels (which causes about 87% of these emissions) and deforestation.
The magnitude of CO2 released into the atmosphere is alarming. Throughout the years, the use of fossil fuels have been rising continuously. While there are numerous different sets of data on CO2 emissions of each country, Andres et al. (2012) states that 80% of the world’s emissions come from 20 countries, most of which are the first world countries.
CO2 emissions remain in the atmosphere for a long time. According to Le Que ́re ́et al. (2009), 43% of the emissions from 1959 to 2008 still remain in the atmosphere.
Coincidentally, the International Day of Peace, where militaries are to power down, is also celebrated every September 21. The United States’ Military forces, one of the top five largest militaries in the world along with China, North Korea, India and Russia, produce more carbon and hydrocarbon emissions than most countries.
In 2017 alone, the US military purchased about 269,230 barrels of oil a day and emitted more than 25,000 kt- CO2e by burning those fuels. In 2017 alone, the Air Force purchased $4.9 billion worth of fuel and the Navy, $2.8 billion, followed by the Army at $947 million and Marines at $36 million.
This has been a main focus for social scientists from Durham and Lancaster University, who argue that the majority of studies conducted on greenhouse gas emissions focus mainly on civilian energy use and fuel consumption. However, there aren’t that many studies present that focus on the carbon footprints made by the militaries around the world.
Zero Emissions Day is an opportunity for everyone to pause and reflect on the current situation of our planet. We should take into account the actions we’re doing to address the growing concerns in our environment and what more can we do in the future. Creating a better world does not take a day, we should apply these practices daily and realize our little actions can get us far.
And we should always remember, “the heart of change is a change of heart,” our one small step towards reaching for change is one huge chance given to future generations. It’s in our hands to make a difference, change our ways and embrace what is given to us. The Zero Emissions Day is only a part of the call for us to make the world better than we found it.
Sources:
About Zero Emissions Day. Zero Emissions Day. (2017). Retrieved 25 September 2020, from http://sealevel.ca/921/about.htm?fbclid=IwAR2a8lFuDvtsBw779svkw8K3KWM6N3VBgu9xzZ-zPFNccs7WwVTN7J-C1ns.
Ahmad, R. (2020). Zero Emissions Day: Our Planet is Counting on Us. Retrieved 26 September 2020, from https://www.ecomena.org/zero-emissions-day/
Andres, R., Boden, T., Bréon, F., Ciais, P., Davis, S., & Erickson, D. et al. (2012). A synthesis of carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel combustion. Biogeosciences, 9(5), 1845-1871. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-1845-2012
Belcher, O., Bigger, P., Neimark, B., & Kennelly, C. (2020). Hidden carbon costs of the “everywhere war”: Logistics, geopolitical ecology, and the carbon boot‐print of the US military. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 45(1), 65-80.
CO2 Human Emissions. (2017, December 13). Main sources of carbon dioxide emissions. Retrieved from https://www.che-project.eu/news/main-sources-carbon-dioxide-emissions#:~:text=There%20are%20both%20natural%20and,coal%2C%20oil%20and%20natural%20gas.
Lancaster University. (2019, June 20). U.S.military consumes more hydrocarbons than most countries -- massive hidden impact on climate. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 26, 2020 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/06/190620100005.htm
Le Quéré, C., Raupach, M., Canadell, J., Marland, G., Bopp, L., & Ciais, P. et al. (2009). Trends in the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide. Nature Geoscience, 2(12), 831-836. https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo689
World's largest armies by active military personnel 2020 | Statista. (2020). Retrieved 26 September 2020, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/264443/the-worlds-largest-armies-based-on-active-force-level
Zeroemissionsday.org. (2017). Retrieved 25 September 2020, from http://zeroemissionsday.org.
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