IBESS: Climate Change

Global Average Temperature increases by 5 degrees Fahrenheit

1 degrees farenheit at the equator and 12 degrees at the poles.

Justification for spending money to combat climate change

1 percent of GFP can save 20 percent of GDP later.

What are flaws in Cap and Trade?

1. Free Permits. Some companies are automatically allowed to create pollution and receive free permits, which can be sold creating a rise in price for consumer. 2.Offsetting. Offsetting can be cheated and falsifyed and a new tree will take a long time to grow. 3.Distraction. The companies are distracting from the true problem with fun ads about conserving the environment.

Species Extinction

1. Polar beats start to drown as ice melts 2. Whales change in ocean temps and currents causing with migration and food 3. Bumblebees-throws off migration and reduces time to pollinate.

IPCC's Four Points

1. Warming of the climate system is unequivocal and unprecedented 2. Atmosphere concentrations of CO2, Methane etc. have increased the unprecedented levels. 3. Continued emissions will continue climate change 4. Global Warming is Human Caused

Tipping point for permafrost melting

1.5 degrees celsius

Ocean Acidication and the Environment

1.Kills coral reefs 2. Plankton will have issues w/their shells due to low amounts of carbonate

Global Dimming

Aerosols scatter light and alter earth's reflectivity. Air pollution reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the earth. Global dimming is defined as the decrease in the amounts of solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth. The by-product of fossil fuels is tiny particles or pollutants which absorb solar energy and reflect back sunlight into space.

Mitigating Climate Change: Fertilizing with Ocean and Iron

All life needs iron and inserting iron into the ocean causes an increase in phytoplankton which would remove CO2.

Montreal Protocol (1987)

An agreement on protection of the ozone layer in which states pledged to reduce and then eliminate use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). It is the most successful environmental treaty to date.

Paris Climate Agreement

An agreement within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change dealing with greenhouse gas emissions mitigation, adaptation and finance starting in the year 2020.

Climate change and precipitation

An increase in evaporation will warp moisture from the soil and that added moisture in the air is redistributed and causes flooding in other peoples.

Compare and Contrasting GHG

C02 only has 1 GWP (Global Warming Potential) compared to Methane's whopping 21-23. CO2 lasts 50-200 years in the atmosphere while Methane will fade out in 12 years.

Methane

CH4 has increased 1 percent each year. 60% is anthropogenic and 15% is from cattle.

6 GHG

CO2, CH4, N20, Water Vapor, O3, CFC's

Cap and Trade

Cap and trade reduces emissions by setting a limit on pollution and creating a market for it.

Mitigating Climate Change: Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Carbon capture involves trapping the carbon dioxide at its emission source, transporting it to a storage location (usually deep underground) and isolating it. This means we could potentially grab excess CO2 right from the power plant, creating greener energy.

Factors that influence Climate Change

Changes in Earth's orbit, rotation, seasons, sunlight.

Agriculture and Methane

Cows, sheep and goats (cows especially) have a stomach called a ruminant which contains microscopic bacteria that anareobically break down the grass that cows eat and release methane as a byproduct. A solution to this release of greenhouse gas is eating chicken or going fully vegetarian.

Highly developed vs developing countries and Climate Change

Developing countries such as India cannot afford to invest in ecologically sustainable ways of creating energy and have to focus on the cheap methods of energy (coal). The United States criticism of India and other such developing nations of hypocritical because the United States should be role models since it is fully developed and is wealthier.

The Seasons and The Earth

During the Spring leaves take in CO2 and in the fall the leaves exhales the CO2 as they die.

How do we mitigate? Use alternatives to fossil fuels

Hydroelectricity Nuclear Power

Removing CO2 from atmosphere: Increase photosynthesis

Increase rate at which atmosphere CO2 is converted into biomass carbon sink by reforesting.

Approach 3: Take precautions now.

International commitments, national actions and personal lifestyle changes.

Graphs at 320-322

Just look and study them I suppose

Negative Feedback Loop and Climate Change

More clouds will form as a result of increased moisture in the air which will lead to the decrease of temperature.

Disease Vectors and Disease Emergence

Mosquitoes can continue to thrive and survive in warmer climates and as the earth increasingly warms, mosquitoes and various vectors can continually survive more environments. Additionally, Airborne diseases travel more in heat. EX. Malaria. More room to breed=more disease carrying vectors.

NH Hemisphere summer vs. Winter

NH Summer-CO2 is lower b/c more trees photosynthesize remove CO2. NH Winter- CO2 is greater b/c less southern hemisphere sucking out C02.

greenhouse effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases

How do we mitigate? Stabilize or Reduce GHG

Reduce energy waste by using it more efficiently. Improve fuel economy and energy efficient lightbulbs. Carbon taxes Carbon Credits

How do we mitigate? Reduce emissions of NOx and CH4

Reduce methane production Sustainable agriculture

Rice Paddy

Rice Paddy's are a source of methane when it is flooded because the bacteria must break down without oxygen. It is sink when it is not flooded because it is plant which absorbs CO2.

Manage the weather

Seed clouds and/or plant trees to encourage rainfall

The Industrial Revolution

Since the industrial revolution, temperatures have increased by 0.85 degrees celsius and most of that was post 1980.

Skeptics and Supporters of the 1000 Years of the Northern Hemisphere Graph

Skeptics- it follows a natural volatile cycle. Supporters- It's much more extreme warming than it has ever been.

Removing CO2 from atmosphere: CCS

Suitable rocks have captured rates. CO2 pumped into it, it is then pumped into the rocks under pressure and stays there.

Greenhouse Gas and Temperature Graph

The lines are connected because when CO2 increases, temperature does too. CO2 traps heat.

Ocean Conveyor Belt and Europe's Ice Age

The ocean conveyor belt is in danger of stopping due to melting glaciers as a result of climate change. If it does stop, heat cannot be transferred to Europe because the melting glaciers will release cold freshwater that cannot sink. The Warm water is now trapped underneath and cannot get to Europe. W/o warm water nearby, Europe won't have warmth since it is the same latitude as Canada (cold). This will send Europe into another ice age.

How does pollution create a larger issue than the normal greenhouse effect?

The pollution thickens the layer trapping more IR, heating up the Earth more with the excess of Greenhouse Gases.

How does albedo cause a feedback loop?

The water absorbs the heat (90 percent) much more than the ice, which reflects it and the surrounding ice melts faster because of the waters increased temperature.

Should we do anything about Climate Change?

The world may forfeit economic development and it is might be more important to focus on current poverty and solving that problem. Warming can also lead to increased agriculture.

Thermal Expansion

Thermal Expansion occurs when an object heats up. Particles move faster and faster causing the object to take more space, meaning the sea is taking up more space.

Change land use

Through planning legislation, don't allow building on flood plains

Use More Biomass

Use a source of fuel to achieve carbon neutrality-if you cut down a tree, plant a new one.

Stronger Storms

Water currents and patterns are thrown off by the introduction of more water. (from science website)Warmer sea surface temperatures could intensify tropical storm wind speeds, potentially delivering more damage if they make landfall. Based on sophisticated computer modeling, scientists expect a 2-11 percent increase in average maximum wind speed, with more occurrences of the most intense storms. Warmer seas also mean more precipitation. Rainfall rates during these storms are projected to increase by about 20 percent and, as Hurricane Harvey showed in 2017, this can sometimes be the more destructive impact.

Wait and See Approach

We could wait and see if anything truly horrible happens, but there is the risk of hitting a tipping point and never truly being able to go back.

Permafrost

When permafrost thaws, organic matter begins to decay in the soil which releases methane as a byproduct. It's a dangerous positive feedback loop since both methane (released when there is no oxygen) and C02 (released when there is oxygen) both cause warming which in turn causes more permafrost melting.

Kyoto Protocol (1997)

a treaty to slow global warming and the resulting projected climate disruption by cutting emissions of CO2, CH4, and N2O to 5.2% below their 1990 levels by 2012. Developing countries are not held responsible.

Adaptation

aims to reduce adverse effects and maximize positive effects.

Manage water supplies

desalination plants increase reservoirs harvest run off effectively use water harvesting from clouds in other areas

Change Agricultural Production

irrigate more efficiently in drought areas store rainwater for times of need in water storage

Lighten color of roofs

lighter color roofed increase albedo and reflect more sunlight, instead of absorbing it.

Migrate

migrate to other areas

Build to resist flooding

plan water catchment and runoff to minimize flooding build houses on stilts with garages that can be flooded underneath

Mitigating Climate Change: Sequestering Carbon in Trees

planting and maintaining forests

Mitigation

reduction and stabilizing GHG emissions.

Release SO2 from airplanes

release sulfur dioxide from airplanes and increase global dimming

geo-engineering: fertilizing the ocean with iron

scatter iron, nitrates and phosphates into ocean to increase agae blooms which take up more carbon and are SINKS.

Mirrors in space

send mirrors into space between the earth to redirect solar radiation

Ocean Acidification

the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's oceans, caused by the uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. There are more H ions and this increases acidity.

Vaccinate

vaccinate against water borne diseases

Coral Bleaching

zooxanthellae leave the coral skin after being irritated by higher temperatures.