Global Climate Change - Final

CO2 accounts for approximately how much of the radiative forcing caused by human greenhouse gas production?

75%

What is the difference between a population and a community in ecological terms?

A community is composed of multiple populations living in the same area

Key feature of businesses:

A focus on growth

What is the difference between a hypothesis and a prediction?

A hypothesis is the proposed explanation for an observation. A prediction is the expected pattern.

Prophets

Tell about the problem and try to solve it from the source

What does the number after RCP stand for (e.g. RCP8.5)?

The degree of warming by the end of the century (in watts per square meter)

Epistemology is the:

Theory of knowledge

Norway's example on evehicles

60% of new car sales are electric

The top six greenhouse gas producing countries or coalitions account for how much of total emissions?

67%

Cost of solar... uncovered

Solar energy is not expensive. The regulations surrounding solar make it expensive.

Which of the following technologies DO we need to decarbonize the economy?

Solar panels, Wind turbines, Electric vehicles, Heat pumps

Means regulation

"everyone has to do this" (how you're going to get there)

Ends regulation

"the result has to be this" (consequence of the action)

Once electrified, how much would the typical American household save on energy cost per year compared to the current system?

$1,900

How much would de-carbonizing the entire energy system cost?

$22 trillion "a comparative bargain to save the world"

Cost per household to rewire america

$40,000, with mortgage like financing

Project Drawdown Scenario 1, top CO2 avoided categories

1) Reduced Food waste 2, Health & Education 3 Plant-Rich Diets

Obstacles to path-dependent solutions

1) The politician-public disconnect 2) The incumbent advantage 3) Special interest groups 4) The fog of enactment

Tom's calming questions

1) What do you need to do? 2) How can you get the most important parts done? 3) How long do you have to do it?

Approximately how many people die prematurely each year because of environmental pollution (air, water, soil, and occupational)?

15 million

Walmart average yearly GHG emissions from 2005-2018

20.2 metric tons of CO2 equivalent. About the same as global CO2 emissions in 1798

Rewiring America new jobs

25 million

What are the major sinks for CO2 in the atmosphere?

Rock weathering, Photosynthesis

If you burn 1 kg of carbon, approximately how much CO2 is produced?

3.7kg

Percent of Walmart's operations that are sustainable

30%

Approximately how much CO2 does humanity produce each year?

35 Gt

Amount of CO2 we are producing globally (annually)

37 gigatons

Approximately how much sea level rise is expected by 2100 under RCP2.6 versus RCP8.5?

0.4 versus 0.7 meters

Approximately how much has the Earth's mean annual temperature warmed since the Industrial Revolution?

1 C

For the Allies to win World War II, it cost approximately 1.8 times their gross domestic product (GDP). How much would it cost for the U.S to completely decarbonize its energy system?

1 GDP

Amount of CO2, NO2, CH4, F gases (annually)

50 gigatons

Of the CO2 that humans put into the atmosphere, approximately how much of it is taken up by land and ocean sinks?

50%

If we electrify everything how much more efficient would it be (Rewiring America)

1/2 as much electricity

Environmental ethics (systems of environmental beliefs and values) can generally be classified into what three categories?

Anthropocentrism, Physiocentrism, Theocentrism

Three approaches

Authoritative, Competitive, Collaborative

When do we need to hit drawdown? Or how is that timeline estimated

Between 2020-2050. They say that's it's likely going to take until 2040 to hit that point (if we are ambitious)

Using fossil fuels and extracting fossil fuels generate primarily what types of greenhouse gases, respectively

CO2 and CH4

Which correctly ranks the following greenhouse gases from highest to lowest total influence on global climate?

CO2>CH4>N2O>F-gases

Which of the following technologies do we not need to decarbonize the economy?

Carbon recapture

Which of the following energy sources is experiencing a global decline?

Coal

Two types of capital:

Debt financing and Equity financing (both require growth - short-term, at that)

Authoritative

Deputize a small group to consider complexity and make decisions

Tragedy

Despite broad recognition of problems, the factors above result in failure

Misanthropy

Distaste or hatred of humans. Believing that humankind is bad because of what they've caused.

What have businesses (historically) grown on?

Fossil Fuel Power

Percentages of economic sectors with their contribution to total GLOBAL greenhouse gas emissions

Electricity - 25% Agriculture and land use - 24% Industry - 21% Other activities - 16% Transportation - 14%

Collaborative

Engage all (or many) stakeholders to identify win-win (or win-neutral) solutions

What are "Committed Emissions"

Fossil fuel consumption slated to be burned by machines that already exist

Which of the following correctly organizes geologic units of time from longest to shortest?

Eons, eras, periods, epochs, ages

Which correctly ranks the following greenhouse gases from highest to lowest global warming potential?

F-gases>N2O>CH4>CO2

Even though fossil fuels cause environmental damage, compare to wind and solar, they are more cost efficient.

False

Republicans and Democrats have similar trust in new media

False

There is not enough land and coastal area to support the renewable energy infrastructure needed to replace fossil fuels

False

Inductive reasoning has no place in the modern scientific method because

False - Inductive reasoning is an important part of the modern scientific method.

Which of the following correctly ranks the human activities most responsible for climate change (rank from greatest warming to greatest cooling)?

Greenhouse gases>Land use>Aerosols

What is the most important greenhouse gas in watts/m2?

H2O, water vapor

wicked problems

Hard to define, resistant to resolution, systems of systems, limited number of attempts possible

Carrots

How to move something forward

Sticks

How to stop something from moving the way you don't want

Honorable Harvest

Humans should consume only as much as they need and not more. Humans should use everything that they take and not waste. Humans should share the resources that they have

What are the three general factors that determine the Earth's energy balance?

Insolation, albedo, and insulation

Aerosols have a larger effect on energy balance when they are over what type of surface?

It depends on the type of aerosol

Growth of a species through time often follows one of two general shapes or curves that are described by which of the following letters?

J and S

Which of the following does not substantially contribute to the loss of confidence in traditional media?

Lack of access to reliable information

What are the three main types of "sinks" addressed in the Project Drawdown report?

Land, Ocean, and Engineered

Path-dependent decision making

Lock-in, Self-reinforcing, Increasing returns, Positive feedback. The risk of getting it wrong is GREATER if intervention is path-dependent

Wizards

Look for technology and innovation to help us find the solution

According to Dr. Abbott, what are the two most pressing environmental issues (pick 2)?

Loss of human life and health due to pollution, Pervasive decline in life on Earth (extinctions and decrease in biomass)

Behavioral economics and ecodesign

Manipulate individual preference to make the "right" choice easier or more apparent

The cadillitic converter example:

Mix of ends and means regulation (pollutants has to be below this AND every vehicle sold has to have a caddilitic converter installed

What two greenhouse gases are primarily produced by agricultural activity?

N2O and CH4

four ecological laws

Nature knows best, There ain't no such thing as a free lunch, Everything must go somewhere, Everything is connected to everything else

Denial

Not a problem, not my fault, doesn't involve me

How can greenhouse gases account for more than 100% of the observed warming?

Other factors cause cooling

Competitive

Pit opposing views against each other and use market principles to pick preferred solutions

Which of the following is true about global population dynamics?

Population is increasing, but the growth rate is decreasing

The total human footprint on Earth can be described by which of the following simplified equations?

Population multiplied by per-capita consumption

Project Drawdown three categories

Reducing sources, support sinks, improve society

Which is true of global trends in renewable and nonrenewable energy production?

Renewables are growing faster in proportional terms but slower in absolute terms

What does RCP stand for?

Representative Concentration Pathway

Despondency

There's nothing I can do about it, I'm going to get on with my life

Climate change is a threat multiplier that is connected with everything

True

If we electrify all of our energy sources, it is possible to decarbonize our energy system even if Americans to keep their current lifestyle (e.g. large cars, large homes, meat-rich diet).

True

Command-and-control strategy

a direct regulatory approach (carrot and/or sticks)

The only real target for the energy system

ZERO GHG emissions (negative emissions are costly, risk, with unclear responsibilities - we can't rely on them as a solution)

Echophobia

as we become more aware of issue, we feel a negative attitude for the environment overall

Rewiring America timeline

cut emissions by half every decade to stay within 1.5-2 degrees of warming

Climate depression

earning more of the problems creates depression and don't have full emotional reactions

Rewiring America proposal "machines"

electric heat pumps, electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines, re-electify all appliances

The consequence of all of these negative dynamics (echo phobia, climate depression, misanthropy, denial, despondency) is the same:

helplessness and inaction

amount of warming calculation

human emissions x ecosystem response (we don't know where thresholds and tipping points are)

Compared to current fossil fuel jobs, the new jobs required to electrify America would be _______, ______, and ______.

more plentiful, geographically distributed, and professionally diverse.

Swanson's Law

solar gets 20% cheaper with every doubling of production capacity

Drawdown

the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline

How much more energy would electrifying everything cause the need for?

three times as much electricity (300%)

Market strategy

use the market to set prices on pollution and resource use.

super wick problems

wicked, plus: Time is running out, no central authority, solvers are also causers, discount future

What are the two major types of aerosols?

​​​​​​​Scattering, Absorbing

Global warming potential changes with which of the following:

​​​​​​​Timescale considered

Ecosystem services (the benefits humans receive freely from the environment) are worth how much relative to the global economy?

​​​​​​​Twice as much