• Over the past few years, there have been increasing calls for the development and transfer of technologies to promote combating climate change.
• Technology has evolved into a means of ensuring our species'' survival.
• However, the level of the techno-determinism present in the plan to stop climate change is worrisome.

Technology and Climate Change

• Technology cannot solve the problem on its own. A change in society and a zero-emission plan are needed.
• Technology innovation has the benefit of history on its side.
• For instance, Norman Borlaug launched the Green Revolution, which improved yields and fed billions of people.
• However, to address the issues in front of us, much more efforts to address the effects of climate change.

COP26 and Technological Optimism

• Technology optimism was also fuelled by COP-26 (Conference of the parties-26) in Glasgow.
• A COP is the supreme governing body of an international convention.
• It is composed of representatives of the member states of the convention and accredited observers.
• Every technological option considered at COP-26 is said to be dependent on just three resources:
• Nelectricity (non-emitting electricity) produced by hydropower renewable or nuclear fission.
• Carbon capture Storage (CCS)
• Bio Mass

Concerns of targets proposed in COP-26

Excessive focus on tech-centric climate interventions

• Most of the climate conservation efforts that focuses on technological interventions ignores forest economies and subjects such as conservation and forests, which are the best carbon removal instruments.
• The same amount of money must be invested in conservation as in the transfer of cutting-edge technology in order to combat climate change.

Unrealistic targets

• The proposals outlined at COP-26 will not be able to meet all of the demand for those resources by 2050.

Reason behind potential non-attainment of COP-26 targets

• Currently, each person has access to 4 kWh of electricity each day.  However, the COP-26 proposals provide for 32 (range 16-48).
• Present CCS per person annual consumption is 6kg, but the COP-26 plans call for 3,600kg (range 1,400-5,700).
• We consume 100 kg of plant-based food annually per person, but 200 kg of additional harvest is needed in order to produce enough bio-kerosene to fly at the current rate.
• It is unlikely that we will have these in sufficient quantities to meet the demands of the plans presented at COP-26
• From 2000 and 2050, the world will require enough renewable energy capacity to power one nuclear plant every day to avert catastrophic climate change as per Carnegie Institution report.
• According to MIT Technology Review, if things continue as they are, it will take the world close to 400 years to overhaul its energy system.

Vague nature of the deforestation commitment

• At COP-26, there was a pledge to stop deforestation by 2030, but the details of the pledge were hazy.
• Monoculture farming is a simple way for nations to try to meet their "net zero deforestation targets."
• However, this won''t be much use because researchers found that woods that have been conserved naturally are 40% more effective than those that have been planted.

Importance of Forest

• A net 7.6 billion metric tonnes of CO2 are removed annually by forests.
• According to a recent study, their biophysical characteristics tend to cause an additional 0.5% cooling of the earth.
• Up to 37% of the emissions reductions required to combat climate change can be met by forest protection and other natural alternatives.
• Mangroves and salt marshes are green infrastructure that is 2–5 times more affordable than grey infrastructure.
• According to a study, between 2015 and 2017, the loss of tropical forest cover resulted in 4.8 billion tonnes of annual gross carbon emissions.
• This produces more emissions annually than are produced throughout the course of 85 million autos.
• In 2019, the energy supply sector contributed around 34% of all net anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.
• It consists industry (24%), agriculture, forestry, and other land use (22%), transportation (15%), and buildings (6%).

Suggestions

• To remove CO₂ from atmosphere, the need of the hour is conservation of natural CO₂ sinks, along with improving biodiversity protection, and restoring ecosystems.
• According to the IPCC Land Report, land is a significant CO2 sink.
• The best and most equitable method to address the climate catastrophe is to maintain the earth''s cyclical processes.
• This method will work by safeguarding terrestrial ecosystems, natural sinks, and transformative agriculture techniques, led by indigenous people and local communities.

We must understand that the current climate catastrophe is merely a symptom of the larger issue that human activity and consumption have outpaced the planet''s potential for regeneration. At most, technology can help us, not lead us, along the path to a world that is sustainable, regenerative, and egalitarian.