Climate Crisis, a Titanic Task






Atlas, in Greek mythology, was a titan who was condemned by Zeus to carry the sky. Many of us will remember him because of the image where he appears carrying the world on his shoulders, in his hands, on his shoulders or on his back. For good measure, those who have played lottery —the board game— will be able to see that the card of “The World” presents a modern Atlas holding the planet.

It is almost poetic to think of Atlas and the climate crisis. On the one hand, because preventing the deterioration of our environment has turned out to be a titanic task, a word that derives precisely from feats like that of Atlas. On the other hand, because taking care of the world is in our hands, our shoulders and our backs; ours and those of our descendants.

The task has been titanic and the road relatively long. Next year will mark 50 years since one of the first milestones in the international agenda regarding climate, the Stockholm Conference. Also, 25 years will be commemorated since another of the great milestones in the international agenda against climate change, the Kyoto Protocol.

The United Nations Organization has made the recount of the background that marks the establishment of global warming and climate change as a public problem in the international agenda starting from the Stockholm Conference in 1972. Therefore we could say that, in 1972, at least for some chroniclers, half a century of international efforts against climate change is marked.

A first positive result was the international commitment to eliminate chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) through the Montreal Protocol signed in 1987, a struggle that owes much to the laureate Mexican Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Mario Molina, may he rest in peace.

What are CFCs?

CFCs were gases that affected the ozone layer and were used in the refrigeration industry, aerosols and thermal insulators. It is considered a success because the speed at which they were replaced, both in industry and in consumption habits, was such that it was thought that with technological innovation and better consumption habits, major climate problems could be reduced.

In that scientific-climate euphoria, the following objective was set: to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that caused global warming. The struggle was framed in the Kyoto Protocol as the first international commitment of a global nature whose purpose was the reduction of at least 5% of greenhouse gas emissions taking 1990 as a baseline; this goal had to be achieved between 2008 and 2012.

The fight against greenhouse gas emissions proved to be titanic and the Kyoto Protocol did not produce the desired results. Some design problems that have been cited are:

  1. The greater difficulty of finding substitutes for fossil energy sources both for mobility and for electric energy generation.
  2. The speed of development of non-obligated countries such as China and India.
  3. The economic cost and loss of competitiveness of the obligated countries.

The years have shown us two things. The first is the size of the problem; the second, the importance of taking more forceful actions that involve all actors.

Of course, this implies a radical change in our consumption habits, a greater commitment to the energy transition and greater technological innovation. Perhaps, 25 years later, we are barely beginning to understand the titanic nature of the climate crisis.

This article was originally published by Business Insider México.
Date: June 1, 2021
Original Link: https://businessinsider.mx/crisis-climatica-opinion-paul-alejandro-sanchez-energia-circular/ [offline]
Archived Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20240228071615/https://businessinsider.mx/crisis-climatica-opinion-paul-alejandro-sanchez-energia-circular/ [Archived]

Planned Obsolescence






I was visiting my grandmother’s house a couple of weeks ago and I found one of the energy-saving lamps that she bought more than 20 years ago. I remember that she went to the CFE offices —I do not remember if a program of the Trust for Electric Energy Savings (FIDE) already existed, perhaps yes, but the fact is that she came out with four energy-saving lamps.

This is saying a lot. At that time my grandmother’s house worked with eight light bulbs, better known as incandescent bulbs. Two of the lamps were formed by cylindrical tubes in the shape of a wheel joined in the center with a thread to fit into the sockets; two others were like the LED bulbs that we know today, but enormous. Two or three times the size of an incandescent bulb.

This bulb is more than 20 years old. It was one of the first from CFE’s replacement program, they charged it to the bimonthly bill for one year. It is in my Grandmother’s house and she uses it daily. pic.twitter.com/8L2VoOdng0

— Paul Alejandro (@PaulAlejandros) May 16, 2021

At the risk of being imprecise, the two circular lamps lasted a little more than five years and one of the enormous round lamps was taken by some relative and I do not know what happened, I only know that the only one of the four that survived was that one, which illuminates the equivalent of 60 Watts of an incandescent bulb.

The cost was important considering the economy of 20 years ago. She got the bulbs on credit and CFE would discount a part from her bimonthly bill for one year. Well then, my surprise is that my grandmother has that lamp, still active, in her house. What a great return on investment! My grandmother says that she did observe savings quickly and since then made the effort to switch to energy-saving lamps until not a single bulb remained.

Now, all of us have had a bulb or an energy-saving or LED lamp burn out in our homes. This is more frequent than an accident such as, let us say, breaking a bulb while playing baseball in the living room of our home. But why are incandescent lamps no longer so resistant?

This is due to planned obsolescence. One of the criticisms of the capitalist system is that, once a market is satisfied, the industry would slow down and this would cause a lower rate of growth. Capitalism requires not only one-time consumption but perpetual consumption that allows the movement of the productive machinery.

It is no surprise that the first Ford and GM automobiles were very durable and repairable; the idea was that all American families would have a car. But once the market became saturated, it was necessary to promote the idea that the car had to be replaced. The same can be said of stoves, refrigerators, televisions; sewing machines, among others. This is the idea of planned obsolescence.

Thomas Alva Edison considered the manufacture of perpetual incandescent bulbs or at least with a very long life expectancy. For example, in California is the Centennial Bulb, which is maintained by the Livermore-Pleasanton Fire Department and was originally installed in 1901.

Although the years have taken their toll and that 30-Watt bulb now only emits about 4 Watts, perhaps partly because of the glass, perhaps partly because of the filaments and perhaps partly because of the installation, the feat is so commendable that it is in the Guinness Book of World Records. And most importantly, it is not the only one; there are at least a dozen bulbs that are around 100 years old.

Perhaps, then, we could think of some future in lighting systems that are not only more efficient but also more durable; however, as long as it is important for the industry to keep the productive and consumer machinery oiled, it is likely that in my house I will never have an energy-saving lamp or an LED that lasts more than 20 years.

This article was originally published by Business Insider México.
Date: May 26, 2021
Original Link: https://businessinsider.mx/obsolescencia-programada-opinion-energia-circular-paul-alejandro-sanchez/ [offline]
Archived Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20221204121638/https://businessinsider.mx/obsolescencia-programada-opinion-energia-circular-paul-alejandro-sanchez/ [Archived]

Let Us Prepare for Cyberattacks






The accelerated advance in information and communication technologies in the modern world that has driven the interconnectivity of the world —from people to markets— and has greatly facilitated communication, real-time monitoring and automation, also has its risks.

In the last five years, according to the Global Risks Report of the World Economic Forum, cyberattacks, data theft and electronic fraud have become a risk with a high probability of occurrence and no industry, including the energy industry, is safe.

Perhaps you remember, in 2019 Pemex suffered a cyberattack called ransomware, which basically is a play on words to say something like kidnapping or ransom app. The fact is that a group of hackers found a vulnerability in Pemex’s outgoing connections; those digital ports that equipment uses to connect to YouTube, Netflix or even the internet.

Well then, once access to the company’s internal network was gained, the malicious software began to do its job: encrypt all the files in the company’s internal cloud. That is, it established a lock on the file system and they can only be unlocked with a complex string. All the files. From emails to official documents and databases.

It is estimated that the ransom requested from Pemex was close to 5 million dollars in cryptocurrencies, which makes it very difficult to track the perpetrators. However, according to statements from Mexico’s oil company, the ransom was not paid and some systems took several months to be completely restored.

Cyberattacks Recently Affected the Price of Gasoline in the United States

A couple of weeks ago another company, now in the United States, that operates the main refined-products transport pipeline from the Gulf of Mexico to the East Coast of the country, was attacked. The Colonial pipeline is made up of almost 9,000 kilometers in length and transports 2.5 million barrels per day. As a result of the cyberattack, the pipeline lasted five days out of service.

This put gasoline prices in the United States in trouble, which registered their most important increase since 2014, when the international fall in oil prices began. Some news sites even reported panic buying by American motorists who filled gallons, water tanks and even plastic bags.

At first, Colonial decided not to pay the ransom; however, due to these pressures the company gave in and ended up paying around 5 million dollars. The same amount that was requested from Pemex at the beginning.

If we consider what was indicated by the World Economic Forum, this type of risk will become more common every day and the ransoms higher every day. Companies allocate a large part of their income to increase their cybersecurity and hackers will dedicate more and more resources to maintaining attacks because they constitute an opportunity to make good money.

A solution that companies such as Google, Sony or Microsoft have implemented is to create reward programs for hackers who use the platform to report vulnerabilities in the security of their systems in exchange for a payment. With this, companies get ahead and can block latent failures. This is putting the community to work with a common objective.

In Mexico, in the energy sector, it would be necessary to ask about the state of the security of Cenace, Cenagas; CFE or Pemex itself, because an attack like these could happen again at any moment. Even in our homes: can you imagine someone hacking Alexa or putting your computer to mine bitcoin? Or, in the future, can you imagine someone hacking the robot that delivers pizzas?

Without a doubt, this is one of the risks of a future interconnected in real time throughout the globe.

This article was originally published by Business Insider México.
Date: May 18, 2021
Original Link: https://businessinsider.mx/preparemonos-ciberataques-industria-electrica-energia-circular-paul-alejandro-sanchez/ [offline]
Archived Link: https://web.archive.org/web/20210619041707/https://businessinsider.mx/preparemonos-ciberataques-industria-electrica-energia-circular-paul-alejandro-sanchez/ [Archived]