United we win

Climate change is a reality and each of us are evenly responsible for it too (“UAE Net Zero plan hailed; Saudi vows $1b for ‘green era,’” Gulf Today, Oct. 26).

Many countries already set their net-zero carbon emission targets already without elaborating alternative measures for meeting their needs such as energy, employment and revenue. The Net-Zero plans are just like plastic ban. Banning something without alternatives and reintroducing the same after facing hardship. India and China recently reduced their coal production which resulted in massive power crisis in both countries and eventually restarted the production at an earlier level.

We have to abandon many of our current activities to achieve a realistic net-zero carbon footprint by 2050. These abandonments will cause huge loss of revenue, employment and energy. It is still unclear, if oil producing countries increase or decrease their current level of production or investments in the near future. Likewise, consumer countries are groping in the dark for alternative energy. So, discourage countries from announcing unrealistic net zero targets without elaborating their own specific alternatives to meet the outcome of net zero compliances. Conception is easy but delivery is what really counts.

We are between the devil and the deep sea. Reversing our current activities will cause only suffering whereas we will perish together by not doing so. Given the impact of current natural disasters, most likely we will forced to embrace net-zero targets well ahead of 2050.

Girish R Edathitta,
Kerala, India