Planet Earth is no stranger to cataclysmic destruction. Scientists tell us that through the ages, the planet has been subjected to all manner of disasters, from meteor strikes and axis tilts, to tectonic shifts and dramatic atmospheric cooling that changed Earth's fundamental 'living conditions' and caused the extinction of millions of species.

The 20th century had its share of global threats too. Nuclear war and alien invasions, while thankfully failing to materialize, kept us in fear and spawned a multitude of Hollywood movies. Now, in the early 21st century, Earth is coming to terms with a new and potentially catastrophic threat commonly known as 'global warming', caused solely by humans in their quest for progress , writes Paul Collings.

Concerns over the health of Earth's atmosphere emerged in the late 20th century with the discovery of ozone layer depletion caused by the release of particulates and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) from aerosols and refrigerators. The spectre of being grilled to death by the sun's ultraviolet rays entering through holes in the ozone layer resulted in a world-wide ban of CFC use in consumer products. 

As this happened, environmentalists began to protest the commercial destruction of rain forests around the world, especially the Amazon, warning that if it continued unabated, there wouldn't be enough oxygen to go around in the not too distant future.

As the millennium turned, the flipside of the 'green' coin was exposed. The 'bad guy' now was carbon dioxide (CO2) - too much of it trapped inside the atmosphere, to be specific - being released by human activity and causing the planet to heat up, bringing about all manner of changes in global weather patterns. While 'climate change' proves to be the issue of the day, it turns out, there's a twist in the tail.

From cool to hot
Research has shown that, says the website globalissues.com, "air pollutants from fossil fuel combustion make clouds reflect more of the sun's rays back into space. This leads to an effect known as 'global dimming' whereby less heat and energy reaches the earth. At first, it sounds like an ironic saviour to climate change problems. However, it is believed that global dimming caused the droughts in Ethiopia in the 1970s and 80s where millions died, because the northern hemisphere oceans were not warm enough to allow rain formation. Global dimming is also hiding the true power of global warming. By cleaning up global dimming-causing pollutants (like particulate matter) without tackling greenhouse gas emissions (CO2 in particular), rapid warming has been observed, and various human health and ecological disasters have resulted, as witnessed during the European heat wave in 2003, which saw thousands of people die."
While scientists are suggesting that global dimming has perhaps masked the effects of global warming, they note that incomplete combustion of fossil fuels (such as diesel) releases black carbon (soot) into the air, effectively heating Earth's atmosphere at altitudes above two kilometers while cooling the surface of the ocean by absorbing solar radiation. 
Says Dr Peter Cox, a leading climate modeller, in a BBC interview, "as things stand, CO2 levels are projected to rise strongly over coming decades, whereas there are encouraging signs that particle pollution is at last being brought under control. We're going to be in a situation, unless we act, where the cooling pollutant is dropping off while the warming pollutant is going up. That means we'll get reducing cooling and increased heating at the same time and that's a problem for us." 
This could result in a temperature rise of 10° C by 2100, adds Dr Cox, "giving the UK a climate like that of North Africa, and rendering many parts of the world uninhabitable. That is unless we act urgently to curb our emissions of greenhouse gases." 
  

The recent floods in Mozambique and Zimbabwe are a result of changing weather patterns caused by global warming. How long before South Africa’s roads and truck transport are rendered useless?

Innocuous but deadly 
While pollutants from the burning of fossil fuels (be they nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide or particulate matter) are reduced using new technology, CO2 emissions are the primary cause of global warming and while CO2 is in itself harmless, controlling its volume in our atmosphere presents the greatest challenge to sustainable global development.

In a report published by the University of the Western Cape (UWC), the following sobering conclusions should prompt all South African's to embrace carbon footprint-reducing disciplines: "The last Ice Age, which ended approximately 15 000 years ago, was only 5° C colder than current temperatures, but the resulting climate changes were massive. Most of North America was covered in a layer of ice about 1,5 km thick and sea levels in the Cape were about 120 m lower than at present. In those days, if you had wanted to go for a swim at Cape Agulhas you would first have had to walk about 150 km to reach the sea!"

The report continues: "Signs of a changing climate in Africa have already emerged and they're not good. Water expands as it warms and glaciers melt, adding water to the oceans. We can expect widespread flooding of coastal areas as sea levels rise. By 2050, rising temperatures could send more than a million of Earth's land-dwelling plants and animals down the road to extinction. Biodiversity is important for South Africa because of its key role in maintaining ecosystem functioning, its proven economic value for tourism and its role in supporting subsistence lifestyles. Extreme floods and droughts are projected to become more severe as global warming worsens. These extremes may threaten the availability and supply of safe drinking water. 

"In addition to floods and droughts, scientists believe that global warming will result in more intense hurricanes, as increasing sea temperatures provide energy for storm intensification. Regional climate stress on agriculture may mean up to 300 million additional victims of malnutrition world-wide each year. About 70% of total grain production in South Africa consists of maize. It is predicted that under a hotter, drier
climate, maize production will decrease by up to 20%. 

"Increases in temperature and changes in rainfall patterns could lead to an increase in the occurrence of strokes, skin rashes, dehydration and the incidence of skin cancers. As a result of ecosystem changes, climate change may also bring about indirect health impacts such as an increase in the incidence of water-borne diseases. The occurrence of diseases such as malaria could also increase if there is a significant extension of the malaria prone areas. Global warming could spark regional conflicts as large numbers of environmental refugees are driven from their homes."

It’s not often one sees snow in Johannesburg. Climate change may have something to with 2007’s big chill in Gauteng.

A hotter climate brings droughts which cause fires, destroying timber plantations and the sustainability of the timber transport industry.

Coal burning monoliths like Eskom and Sasol are South Africa’s biggest polluters. Their carbon footprint is being closely monitored by environmental watchdogs both locally and abroad.

South Africa's burning reality
South Africa has one of the worst records for greenhouse gas pollution relative to the size of its economy, contributing about 1,35 % to the total world CO2 emissions, explains the UWC report. "Use of coal by South Africa's industrial sector is the primary source of the country's air pollution. More than 90% of South Africa's electricity is generated from the combustion of coal, which contains approximately 1.2% sulfur and up to 45% ash.
Coal combustion can lead to particulate matter in the air, as well as contribute to acid
rain. 

"In addition to coal combustion, oil refineries and vehicular emissions also contribute to air pollution in urban centers. The use of older vehicles and the lack of emissions control technology have been compounded by the historical absence of vehicle emissions legislation."

While no exact emissions figures exist for South Africa's truck parc, it is estimated that around 4% of global CO2 emissions come from road freight transport. As high-level environmental summits are conducted to set carbon emissions targets for all industrialized nations, South Africa's government is gearing up to tackle the problem of unchecked truck emissions, specifically through the Air Quality Act (AQA) of 2004.

In the Strategy Document for the Control of Emissions from Road-Going Vehicles (2003), put together by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEAT) and tourism and the Department of Minerals and Energy (DME): "The average age of the South African vehicle fleet is old by developed world standards, and many of these are arguably poorly maintained. Of critical importance is the fact that the vast majority of vehicles in South Africa were manufactured without legislation limiting emissions and thus do not have emissions control devices fitted and thus have high emissions. These reasons are a good indicator that pollution from vehicles is an issue to be addressed aggressively and urgently. It is thus critical that to effectively address this issue the primary goal will be to set appropriate vehicle tailpipe emission and fuel quality standards."

This document was drafted before the current emphasis on CO2 emissions and its focus is on harmful emissions such as NOx, CO and PM. This means little however, considering the fact that while local truck OEMs are subject to Euro 2 emissions standards, the state agency tasked with testing emissions-levels on newly homologated trucks, namely the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), does not posses the necessary equipment to carry out this task. Nor for that matter, do vehicle testing facilities to any meaningful degree, according to a SABS operative who asked to remain anonymous. 

Despite these shortcomings, DEAT minister, Marthinus van Schalkwyk, has broadened the scope of the AQA to encompass all diesel engine emissions, including CO2, says Hanlie Liebenberg-Enslin, director, Airshed, tasked by the DEAT to assist in the fine-tuning of the AQA as far as vehicle emissions are concerned. 

"Historically, air quality management has been a secondary function at municipal level, including vehicle test centres. With no systems in place to regulate non-compliance, it has proved ineffective," she says. "The 2009 implementation of the amended AQA will ensure that municipal bylaws allow local authorities to enforce emissions regulations."
 

The upshot for truckers
At the heart of the green issue for truck fleet owners is diesel, its cost and its efficiency. Transporters who want to gain a competitive business advantage need to implement serious emission-reducing strategies throughout their organisations forthwith, ensuring their diesel is as clean as it can be, trucks are equipped with emission control devices and optimally serviced, drivers are properly trained, incentivised and managed, and the 'eco-trucking' ethos is promoted to all staff and business partners through every communication channel available.

"Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson



Quote
"Companies whose core business is in emissions-intensive sectors would do well to think about investment in greater energy efficiency and new technology development, and in some instances even diversifying their activities. The fact is that, in a carbon constrained world, there will be winners and losers, and it is up to every CEO and Board Chair to rise to these new challenges and opportunities." Minister van Schalkwyk, 2008.