The world needs carbon-neutral solutions. Are you up for the challenge?

Extreme weather conditions such as drought, heatwaves, heavy rain, floods, and landslides are becoming more common because of climate change. Rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and biodiversity loss are other effects of a fast-changing climate.

What can be done to mitigate these issues? According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is crucial to keep global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius, for which carbon neutrality by the mid-twentieth century is required.

What is Carbon Neutrality?

Carbon neutrality refers to a balance between carbon emissions and carbon absorption from the atmosphere in carbon sinks (any system that absorbs more carbon than it releases is referred to as a carbon sink). Soil, woods, and seas are the primary natural carbon sinks. Natural sinks remove between 9.5 and 11 Gt of CO2 per year. In 2019, worldwide CO2 emissions totalled 38.0 Gt.

Till now, no artificial carbon sinks have been able to remove enough carbon from the atmosphere to combat global warming on a large enough scale. Forest fires, changes in land use, and logging release carbon from natural sinks like forests into the atmosphere. That is why, it is critical to cut carbon emissions to achieve climatic neutrality.

Carbon sequestration is a possible solution that will play a key role in maintaining carbon balance. It is the process of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it. All global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be offset by carbon sequestration to attain net-zero emissions. Green technologies that rely on increased renewable energy generation and use can also be employed to reach carbon neutrality.

The way forward requires professionals who are adept at Sustainable Engineering. It is a program offered by select universities such as UPES, giving learners an opportunity to provide solutions that care for the planet.

Engineering for a carbon neutral future

More than half of the world's population now lives in cities, and by the middle of the century, metropolitan regions will be home to 68% of all inhabitants on the globe. Cities, on the other hand, are already responsible for 60% of our greenhouse gas emissions. As the population of cities grows, so does their influence on the climate.

Cities are also among the locations where climate change will have the greatest influence. Because of the way concrete, metal, and glass absorb, emit, and reflect heat, metropolitan areas may become warmer than the surrounding terrain. Water scarcity and growing air pollution are further threatening to make living intolerable in many towns.

However, 25 megacities have vowed to become carbon neutral by 2050 in response.

Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Oslo, Mexico City, Melbourne, London, Milan, Cape Town, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Copenhagen, and Vancouver are a few of the cities on the list. Other cities will have to follow suit if the world is to fulfil its goal of limiting global temperature. 

Why should you consider a BTech in Sustainable Engineering?

The United Nations has prioritised 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable Engineering addresses 9 of these 17 goals. Sky's the limit for such B.Tech. professionals who seek out solutions from the depths of the ocean to the heights of the sky.

Graduates of this course will have the scientific and technical knowledge required to excel. They will be motivated and encouraged to continue their higher education, research, and other creative endeavours in related subjects. This course will also prepare graduates to be tomorrow's technology leaders and entrepreneurs by helping them develop higher-order thinking and leadership skills. By making sound professional and technical decisions, they will be able to make a valuable contribution to society and the environment.

Note: The views expressed in this article are that of UPES and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha