UCLA AOS1 Final Exam Review

What composes the efficiency component of the CNI?

$250 million investment in energy efficiency projects. All new construction projects must be designed with certain efficiency systems.

What are the pros of Geothermal Energy?

1. CO2 emissions are typically negligible 2. Geothermal plants can generate energy constantly, a huge advantage over intermittent renewable energy sources

What are the cons of Liquid Biofuels?

1. Land has been deforested to grow biofuels crops, offsetting the GG emissions reduction 2. Crops used for biofuels are not being used to feed people or agricultural animals 3. Growing crops is water-intensive

What are the cons of Solar Power?

1. Photovoltaic solar panels are made with rare earth metals, whose extraction can be environmentally damaging 2. Utility-scale solar installations have a large footprint on the land and are often sited within sensitive desert ecosystems 3. Concentrating solar systems use large amounts of water for cooling, despite typically being located in arid places 4. The output is proportional to the strength of sunshine, and the best solar resources may not be located near the regions of greatest energy consumption

What are the cons of Geothermal Energy?

1. Production is geographically restricted to areas over geothermal fields 2. So-called geothermal systems inject water into dry, hot rock to extract heat, There are concerns that this causes earthquakes 3. The hot water and steam can contain pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide and lead 4. Geothermal areas are often located on land important for ecosystems or tourism

What are the pros of Solar Power?

1. Solar radiation is a free and plentiful resource 2. Solar panels are particularly suited to small installations

What are the cons of Wind Power?

1. There are concerns about the negative impacts wind turbines could have on wildlife, particularly birds. 2. Wind blows intermittently, so wind turbines are not constantly generating power 3. Some people oppose wind installations for aesthetic reasons

What are the pros of Liquid Biofuels?

1. They can be produced relatively cheaply 2. They don't require major changes to existing vehicle-fueling infrastructure

What are the pros of Wind Power?

1. Wind is a free and plentiful resource. 2. Can be generated on the utility scale, or on a distributed scale (ex. 1 or more small turbines to power a home)

Paris Agreement was adopted with the goal of keeping global warming below __________, was also the threshold set by the Copenhagen and Doha agreements

2 degrees celsius

The major goal of the Paris Agreement is holding the increase in global average temperature to well below ________ above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to _________ above pre-industrial levels, recognizing that this would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change

2 degrees celsius, 1.5 degrees celsius

The Paris Agreement's INDCs put the globe on a path toward warming by _________

3.5 degrees celsius

Renewable energies, mostly wind and solar power, have contributed around ___________ of the total energy produced in 2019; but their output is intermittent in time

40%

About _________ of the energy was used to power homes, businesses, and industry and transportation, the other __________ is 'rejected energy' or lost energy

40%, 60%

How is the CNI going at UCLA?

44 leed projects at UCLA, 15 of which are at the platinum level (highest level) Through our Smart Buildings and Labs Program, we are focused on even deeper energy efficiency measures, a recent project at Broad Art Center has reduced the energy use of the building by 40%

Over last 9 years, UC system has reduced emissions by _________ which is an accomplishment considering that this reduction was accomplished despite an increase in the number of students and full-time employees of nearly __________ during that same time period

5%, 16%

Nation states can enter into ________ or _________, to manage the global commons

Agreements, treaties

Solar radiation management schemes seek to increase the effective ____________ of the planet, so as to counteract the elevated trapping of __________________ by the enhanced greenhouse effect

Albedo, Terrestrial Radiation

________________ is when all parties to the treaty send delegates to this conference, where more specifics are hammered out

Annual Conference of Parties

What are two solar radiation management schemes?

Artificial reflection by aerosols: sulfate or carbonate particles that are injected into the stratosphere all over the globe on a continuous basis to produce a negative radiative forcing. Cloud albedo enhancement: seeding clouds all over the world with reflective aerosols to increase cloud's overall albedo.

Some carbon dioxide removal schemes seek to remove CO2 from the ______________ and transfer it to the ____________

Atmosphere, Ocean

What are 4 other renewable or low-emissions energy sources?

Biogas, hydropower, ocean energy and nuclear power.

California is unique for its history of regulating air quality. 1967 - ___________________ established; set emissions standards predating those of the EPA

California Air Resources Board (CARB)

In 2008, the ____________________________ developed a Long-Term Energy Efficiency Strategic Plan, with ambitious goals -40% decrease in purchased energy in existing homes, relative to 2008 levels -Retrofit 50% of commercial buildings to achieve zero net energy use -Ensure all new construction is zero net energy by 2020 (residential) or 2030 (commercial)

California Public Utilities Commission

This approach sets overall limits on emissions, and emissions permits are issued by the government. These permits can then be bought and sold like any commodity:

Cap-and-trade scheme

What was the main feature of the Waxman-Markey Act?

Cap-and-trade scheme, but it also included a renewables portfolio standard, targets for energy efficiency in buildings, requirements for new power plants to use carbon capture and storage, and mechanisms to promote smart grid technology

What are the 3 approaches to climate change policy?

Cap-and-trade scheme, carbon tax, and command and control

What is the centerpiece of CARB's strategy for Greenhouse Gas emissions?

Cap-and-trade system

______________________ are both examples of negative emissions technologies

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and growth of biomass on land

Geoengineering schemes can generally be divided into two categories, ______________ and _______________

Carbon dioxide removal, Solar radiation management AKA "albedo modification"

This approach involves a levy on the purchase of any fuel based on its carbon content. This makes fuel more expensive in the open marketplace in proportion to its carbon content. Tax subsidies on carbon-free energy sources are equivalent to a carbon tax in their effects on the relative costs of various types of energy

Carbon tax

Which country leads in wind power capacity and solar photovoltaic capacity, with massive gains year after year for solar photovoltaic (46% increases in 2016 alone)?

China, with US, EU, and Japan next

The _________________________ released in 2015 by the Environmental Protection Agency, limited greenhouse gas emissions by power plants, By 2030, total annual emissions from all power plants nationwide were to be only 70% of 2005 emissions

Clean Power Plan (CPP)

This approach involves government mandates on what types of energy can be produced and consumed

Command and control

Over the past decade, US per capita emissions have been ______________ about as rapidly as China's have been _____________

Declining, Increasing

The Kyoto Protocol separated countries into two categories. What were they and what separated the two categories?

Developed Countries (Annex I) and Developing Countries (Non-Annex I) Annex I had GG emissions reduction obligations and must submit an annual GG inventory. Annex II had no GG emission reduction obligations

What was the "North-South Debate" that the Kyoto Protocol sparked?

Developing countries in the global "South" insisted on their right to develop and emit GGs, pointing out that developed countries are responsible for the lion's share of cumulative emissions. Many developed countries in the global "North" refused to take on emissions reductions obligations if developing countries didn't.

Why is the 2015 Paris Agreement perceived as a turning point? (3 reasons)

Diplomats drafted beforehand a workable text that was eventually adopted by 196 countries at the end of the COP. Businesses environmental groups, and other stakeholders were engaged in the process in unprecedented ways. Governments, development banks and foundations pledged to raise funds to help the poorest countries to pay for cutting emissions and prepare for a changing climate.

By 2025, CNI intends to achieve carbon neutrality for two scopes:

Direct emissions (Campus transportation fleet, natural gas, fugitive emissions) and indirect emissions (Purchased electricity)

Another barrier to scaling up renewable/low-emissions energy sources is ________________. In the US and elsewhere, the electric grid is not well-set up to enable distribution of energy from renewables

Distribution

The US has per capita emissions roughly _____________ that of China and Europe

Double

Unless ________________ are brought to near zero, Greenhouse Gas _________________ will keep increasing

Emissions, Concentrations

One barrier to scaling up renewable/low-emissions energy sources is _________________. Currently, energy must be used as it is generated and technologies to store energy on the utility scale are very expensive

Energy storage

A ________________________ is a mechanism that ensures energy produced through renewable means will be "fed in" to the electricity grid at a guaranteed price

Feed-in-tariff

What is the goal of the UC Carbon Neutrality Initiative?

For the entire UC system to be carbon neutral by 2025, which means no net release of carbon emissions into the atmosphere

At some point in the next decade, a transition from ______________ to _______________ sources will be required

Fossil fuels, renewable energy

Proposals to counteract anthropogenic climate change with other types of human interference in the climate systems are known as ________________

Geoengineering

The ______________________ can be credited for one of the world's largest and most advanced economies, traced back to parliament in 2000.

German Renewable Energy Act

The ______________________________ was signed by Governor Schwarzennegger on Sep 27, 2006 and requires a 25% cut in the state's GG emissions by 2020, reducing them to 1990 levels (reminiscent of Kyoto Protocol)

Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB32)

Human interventions in local climate have been proposed to adapt to climate change, such as painting roofs white to cool cities, however, geoengineering generally refers to interventions at the _______________

Global scale

UNFCCC does not set _____________ or specify how parties to the treaty should attempt to lower their emissions, instead it establishes the ____________ by which these things are negotiated and agreed to

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Targets, process

________________ are currently the biggest emitters of greenhouse gases

India and China

In preparation for the Paris COP, roughly 175 countries drafted their own climate pledges, in form of _________________ which equal their promised climate actions through 2030

Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)

What was the Montreal Protocol?

Introduced 5 years after the discovery of the ozone hole, this protocol gradually phased out production of ozone-destroying CFCs. CFC production ended in the US and Europe in 1996, and in less developed countries in 2010

Why do these agreements focus on the 2 C threshold?

It was arbitrarily set by policymakers because they needed a specific goal in order to get countries to commit to cutting emissions. The problem is that it's a difficult threshold to stay under, only RCP2.6 will confidently keep us below it.

In 1997, the _____________________ set emissions targets that signing parties would have to meet between 2008 and 2012 known as first commitment period

Kyoto Protocol

What composes the offsets component of the CNI?

Large scale reforestation projects, planting trees on UC properties, capturing landfill gas for re-use, working with nonprofits to improve energy efficiency in residential communities, leading the way in research for sustainable energy sources and technology, carbon sequestration, efficient design.

What were the four key recommendations made by the NAS in 2015 regarding geoengineering, carbon removal schemes, and solar radiation management?

Mitigating GG emissions should still be the focus of efforts to address climate change. Research should continue on carbon dioxide removal techniques so that risks can be better understood, removal techniques can be made less energy-intensive and lower in cost, and carbon sequestration techniques can be made more reliable. Solar radiation management at climate-altering scales should not be pursued. Solar radiation research should continue, but a governance structure should be created to oversee such research.

Implementation of the INDCs for the Paris Agreement will follow with:

Mitigation efforts, adaptation efforts, financial provisions, technological development and transfer.

Growth in renewable energy production in Germany is so rapid that it is projected that renewables may account for substantially ________________ of electricity generation within the next 15 years

More than half

_________________________ remove carbon from the atmosphere to store it in other parts of the Earth System

Negative emissions technologies

What was the objective at hand for the 1992 Earth Summit?

Objective was to stabilize GG concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system

Please name and describe two carbon removal schemes:

Ocean fertilization: nutrients are continuously added to the oceans where they are naturally scarce, to stimulate phytoplankton blooms, growth of fish populations, and enhanced drawdown of carbon to the deep ocean. Carbonate addition: huge quantities of ground limestone are continuously dumped into the ocean to increase the ocean's alkalinity. The reduction in acidity would make CO2 more soluble in seawater, and accelerate the national oceanic carbon sink.

What are 4 sources of on-campus renewable energy at UCLA?

On-site solar, off-site solar, a cogeneration plant, and biogas.

Why is the Paris Agreement distinct from previous agreements?

Other agreements used a 'top-down' approach that set and imposed emissions reduction targets for all countries, lacked commitment, and they missed clear ways of monitoring and enforcing emissions targets. The Paris Agreement used a 'bottom-up' approach that allowed countries to set their own emissions reduction targets

By 2050, the CNI intends to achieve carbon neutrality for one scope:

Other indirect emissions (student, faculty and staff commutes and business air travel

Two environmental justice perspectives on emissions are:

Per capita emissions and share of total emissions since beginning of industrial era

What composes the renewables component of the CNI?

Projects can be implemented right on campus and an investment in off-campus renewable resources. Currently, 15% of UC energy comes from renewable resources.

Documents outlining these specifics, such as emissions targets, are known as ______________

Protocols

What was the outcome of the 1992 Earth Summit (UN Conference on the Environment and Development)?

Several major environmental treaties and other documents came out of this summit, including an international environmental treaty known as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

Give and describe 3 reasons as to why the Montreal Protocol is seen as the model for success in climate policy.

Sound science - Which made very clear the connection between CFCs and ozone destruction. Economic incentive - Chemical industry created a strong economic incentive to develop viable alternatives to CFCs, which took a year or two. Equity - Equity issues between developed and developing nations were recognized and accounted for. Developing nations were asked to phase out CFCs later than the wealthy countries. Global commitment - A fund was established by the wealthy countries to assist the developing countries in converting from CFCs to less harmful chemicals, resulting in a global commitment to solving the problem

Why was the Kyoto Protocol ultimately a failure?

The "North-South Debate" caused many of the biggest emitters to not participate. Only some countries met their Kyoto targets between 2008 and 2012.

Much like the problem of ozone depletion, climate change is a classic example of __________

The Tragedy of the Commons: An economic theory by which multiple independent parties deplete a common resource. Each party, acting in its own self-interest, uses as much of the resource as it can, thereby behaving contrary to the long-term best interest of all the parties

What was the centerpiece of the German Renewable Energy Act?

The establishment of a feed-in-tariff for renewable energy

Why does the Paris Agreement represent some progress on issues of equity?

There is a legal obligation for developed countries to provide financial assistance to developing countries to support mitigation. Adds an explicit obligation for developed countries to provide assistance for adaptation as well. Developed countries announced new pledges for mitigation and adaptation aid.

What are the common flaws of carbon removal schemes?

They are generally expensive and difficult to scale. Some schemes have unknown consequences for ecosystems, especially those involving perturbations to the marine biosphere.

Solar radiation management schemes are all relatively inexpensive and could be deployed relatively quickly, but they share common flaws:

They do nothing to reduce ocean acidification, since pH levels of the ocean are determined by atmospheric CO2 levels. They must be applied continuously to be effective, if they were stopped, there would be a catastrophic and abrupt warming that could be a shock to human and ecological systems.

Countries are particularly motivated by their relationships with other countries, especially their ________________

Trade relationships

Nation states that don't enter agreements or treaties are subject to ___________ by nation states that are parties to the treaty

Trade sanctions

By type of economic activity, _________________ accounts for 40% of CA's Greenhouse Gas emissions

Transportation

Especially within the US, our existing _________________________ is built around fossil-fuels

Transportation infrastructure

__________________ became the first public university to achieve carbon neutrality on December 3, 2020

UC Merced

_______________ were by far the biggest emitters throughout the last half of the 20th century, but their emissions have been declining recently

US and EU

What are 4 of the most commercially viable and fastest-growing types of renewable energy?

Wind power, solar power, geothermal energy, and liquid biofuels.