Welcome to the Climate Change Corner, a new column dedicated to raising awareness, providing education, and inspiring action on one of the most pressing issues of our time: climate change. As the impacts of climate change become increasingly evident, it is crucial for individuals, communities, and businesses in Lesotho to stay informed and engaged. Our goal is to offer valuable insights, practical advice, and inspiring stories to help you understand and address the challenges posed by climate change.
Why Climate Change Matters Climate change is not just an environmental issue: is a global challenge that affects every aspect of our lives. From extreme weather events and rising temperatures to shifts in agricultural productivity and biodiversity loss, the consequences of climate change are far-reaching. In Lesotho communities are already facing the impacts, making it essential for us to act now. The Climate Change Corner aims to be your trusted source of information and support, helping you navigate this complex issue. What’s in store for you: Each week, the Climate Change Corner will bring you a diverse range of content designed to inform, educate, and inspire.
This week we discuss: QUALITY POLICY
WHAT IS IT?
As the various components of QIs develop within individual countries, they can sometimes evolve independently and result in overlapping or even conflicting functions and responsibilities. A basic
cornerstone for ensuring good governance of QI is therefore to develop a National Quality Policy (NQP) to facilitate a proper and coherent division of work between the various QIS actors within a particular country’s context.
The NQP provides details of the preferred QI structures and their relevant responsibilities, as well as the relationship of the NQI with the framework for technical regulations. Countries (and in particular developing countries) cannot afford to duplicate effort and resources to establish parallel systems of standards, testing and certification—one for the marketplace and another for regulatory purposes—so the collaboration between national standards bodies (NSBs) and regulators is of particular importance.
HOW DOES THE QUALITY POLICY SUPPORT CLIMATE ACTION? The Quality Policy, adopted at national level, aims to define and sustain an efficient and effective QI needed to address a number of policy objectives including, but not limited to, climate change, in line with global and national objectives. In addition to (and in support of) the global initiatives represented by the SDGs, there are a number of policy initiatives around the world that depend on a sound QI for their effective deployment. These include the following:
OVERARCHING REGIONAL POLICIES
The EU’s “Green Deal” is one such example. It is a comprehensive plan that aims to make the EU’s economy sustainable and climate-neutral by 2050. The key elements of the Green Deal include:
» A commitment to cut GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030, compared to 1990 levels.
» The creation of a circular economy that minimizes waste and promotes the use of renewable resources.
The development of sustainable infrastructure, including renewable energy, public transportation, and smart grids.
» The promotion of energy efficiency in buildings and industries.
» The protection of biodiversity and restoration of ecosystems. South Korea announced a similar “Green New Deal” in 2020, which includes plans to invest in renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind, and achieve
carbon neutrality by 2050.
“NET ZERO” POLICIES
The EU’s Net Zero initiative is a commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, which means reducing GHG emissions to the point to which they are balanced by the removal of carbon from the atmosphere. The key elements of the Net Zero initiative include:
» A commitment to reduce GHG emissions to net zero by 2050.
» The promotion of renewable energy, such as wind, solar, and hydropower.
» The development of carbon capture and storage technologies to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
» The implementation of energy efficiency measures in buildings and industries.
» The promotion of sustainable transportation, including electric vehicles and public transportation.
Sweden aims to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2045. The country’s climate policy framework includes measures to reduce emissions from various sectors, such as energy, transportation, and industry, as well as investments in renewable energy and carbon capture technologies.
Canada’s Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act, introduced in 2021, sets the goal of achieving net zero GHG emissions by 2050. It requires the government to set interim emission reduction targets and develop plans to achieve them, with accountability mechanisms to track progress:
Similar policy initiatives are in place in other parts of the world, including:
» California’s Cap-and-Trade Program:Implemented in 2013, this sets a state-wide limit on GHG emissions and issues permits (allowances) to pollute, which can be bought, sold, or traded.
» China’s National Carbon Market: Established in 2017, this is the world’s largest carbon market in terms of potential emissions covered, aiming to help China meet its climate goals by pricing carbon and reducing emissions.
» Norway’s Carbon Tax: Norway introduced a carbon tax in 1991, which imposes a levy on the use of oil, gas, and coal, incentivizing industries to reduce emissions and invest in cleaner technologies.
» New Zealand’s Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS): Introduced in 2008, it is designed to reduce GHG emissions by putting a price on emissions, encouraging the transition to a lowcarbon economy.
» Mexico’s Emissions Trading System: The first in Latin America, started in January 2020. It covers direct CO2 emissions from fixed sources in the energy and industry sectors emitting at least 100,000 tCO2 per year, covering around 40% of national GHG emissions and 90% of emissions reported in the National Emissions Registry (RENE). Allowances are allocated through grandparenting based on historical emissions, which are verified annually.
CLEAN ENERGY POLICIES AND INITIATIVES
There are a number of policy initiatives around the world that aim to phase out fossil fuels and replace them with renewable energy sources.
» Australia’s Clean Energy Regulator is a government body responsible for accelerating carbon abatement for Australia through the administration of the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting scheme, Renewable Energy Target (RET) and the Emissions Reduction Fund.
The RET is a scheme designed to reduce emissions of GHGs in the electricity sector and encourage the additional generation of electricity from sustainable and renewable sources. It works by allowing both large-scale power stations and the owners of small-scale systems to create large-scale generation certificates and small-scale technology certificates for every megawatt hour of power they generate.
Certificates are then purchased by electricity retailers (who supply electricity to householders and businesses) and submitted to the Clean Energy Regulator to meet the retailers’ legal obligations under the Renewable Energy Target. This creates a market that provides financial incentives to both largescale renewable energy power stations and the owners of small-scale renewable energy systems.
Once again, in order to provide confidence and transparency in such a scheme, the QI System (and in particular the metrology component) is vital.
» In the USA, several states, including California, New York, and New Mexico, have implemented or proposed Clean Energy Standards (CES) policies that mandate a certain percentage of electricity to come from renewable sources by specific target years, such as 2030 or 2045.
» Germany updated its Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) in 2021 to further promote the expansion of renewable energy, including increasing annual renewable energy targets and introducing new mechanisms to support renewable energy deployment.
In the upcoming issue, we get to know more about: METROLOGY
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