The intention is to reduce energy-related carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate climate change and limit global temperature rise to within 1.5 degrees of pre-industrial levels.
“One of the issues with such a definition is that it’s very much focused on CO2 emissions, but energy transition is more than that.”
Mr Boyd said based on 2020 data, the share of renewable energy globally in electricity generation was only 29 percent.
“The rest is taken by burning coal, oil and minerals and natural gas, so the transition will be a daunting task.
“For those asking why aren’t we using much of solar or wind energy? There is a dirty little secret that the renewable industry is not telling us and that is the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow.”
Logistics was another issue. With wind turbines getting bigger and blades being enormous, it was a challenge to transport all the bulky materials as few ships and ports were big enough for such complex operations.
“To drive such transitions we need to make more hefty investments in infrastructure and we need the fossil fuel industry on board to help with that transition as well.”
There was nothing to gain by demonising the fossil fuel industry.
“We have a lot to thank the industry for. It has provided us the standard of living that we have become so used to at least for the last 150 years. Since the industry still contributes a significant amount in global energy needs, we need them to work together if we want to shift to a more sustainable approach and achieve a carbon net zero target by 2050.”
Mr Boyd said Shell was one of several industry leaders which had made massive investments in renewables.
“Working with them will only accelerate the necessary transition that we all need.”
A faster transition to a more sustainable approach would not only help with reducing carbon dioxide emissions but also restrict the pollution affecting the wellbeing of the natural environment, including better health for humans.
The other speaker was Catherine Holdsworth-Boyd, of Gisborne, who works for Microsoft in Seattle and deals with cybersecurity issues for the Windows operating system.
People needed to be careful about three things, she said — phishing, malware and out-of-date software.
“Phishing is basically when a cyberattacker tricks you into giving away sensitive information like your passwords.”
Mrs Holdsworth-Boyd said since 2021, Microsoft analytics showed that “password attacks” doubled from 579 to 1287 attacks per second.
“It’s worrying because a lot of people do not keep strong passwords and hackers do their best to try to break in or guess the obvious passwords.”
Malware was where people were tricked into downloading malicious software and click on suspicious links. This could instal ransomware which decrypted all personal and private information such as photos, videos and chats, she said.
“Lastly, outdated software is the easiest target for hackers, who take advantage of the vulnerable and spread their attack.”
To stay protected, people should avoid opening or clicking on unknown links, strange emails, advertisements — especially on freebies and prizes.
“A phishing email will always have the name of an unfamiliar sender, one that sounds funny and is too good to be true. Look out for the poor grammar, spellings and inconsistencies.”
Recalling a phishing email she received a few weeks back, Mrs Holdsworth-Boyd said she was forwarded a receipt of $900 for a shopping expense by a sender named Billingdesk.
But a disorganised format and dodgy currency symbols were the immediate red flags.
“To ensure better gadget protection, resort to having a mutli-factor authentication (MFA) and keep strong passwords backed up by passwords managers (which will help you by remembering the password for you).”
