Is it getting “hot” in here?

Climate Change

Tony Serino, Ph.D.Associate Professor of BiologyMisericordia University

What is climate change? Is it happening?

What are the causes? Are we to blame?

Will it impact me and my family?Can (Will) we do anything about it?

Topics:

Long term changes in the earth's weather, including changes in temperature, wind patterns and rainfall, especially the increase in the temperature of the earth's atmosphere that is caused by the increase of particular gases, especially carbon dioxide. (enhanced green house effect)…Oxford Dictionary

What is Climate Change?

flowerblossoms.wordpress.com

Are global temps rising?

Do CO2 levels correlate with global temps?

Yes (evidence from

multiple sources)

Yes, according to the data

Almost no one disputes that CO2 levels are rising.Most now believe that temperatures are slowly

rising.Main counter arguments are:

No causal relationship can be validated between CO2 levels and temperature changes.

Other atmospheric contaminants cause global warming.

The bulk of CO2 is produced naturally.CO2 is natural and feeds plants.Climate changes (global temperature swings) naturally

occur.It sure is cold out here, NOW!

Critics

www.epa.govFrom Antarctic ice core samples

CO2 levels positively correlate with temperature changes over time

Can the rise in global temps be due to dust (particulates) in atmosphere?

Weather is highly variableGlobal temperature trends can

not be distinguished on a small time scale. (Much like daily sales figures cannot show trends individually)

But it’s cold out, now!

Even though this source doesn’t show where the data is from, let’s assume it is true. Nature hasn’t changed much, so if CO2 is rising it must be attributable to the only source which has dramatically increased its use of carbon in the last 200 years

Are we responsible?

ncpa.org (National Center for Policy Analysis)

HumansCO2 is good for plants, but human impacts have decreased the biomass of the planet –deforestation, ocean dumping, etc

Are we responsible for CO2 rise?

World Population Growth has increased demand (and use) of fossil fuels.

This positively correlates with increased CO2 production.

Increased CO2 will interact with the existing Carbon cycle

Carbon CycleEssential element of life (basis of food chain)

Reservoir: atmosphere, oceans, sediments, life forms, sedimentary rocks, and organic soils

Photosynthesis removes CO2 by about as much as respiration releases it.

The release of CO2 and other greenhouse gasses increases the heat capacity of the atmosphere

the link between global warming and CO2 levels

Enhanced Greenhouse Effect

Only photosynthesis decreases CO2 levels

Greenhouse Gas Sources

Evidence Global Warming is happening.

www.skepticalscience.com

NASA, 2012, from www.washingtonpost.com

50% decline

Loss of Pack Ice

Decrease Glacial Ice

Global Retreat

Switzerland

Alaska

Antartica

Water from the Hudson River breaching the sea wall in Lower Manhattan during Sandy. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/Getty) www.wnyc.org

Rising Sea Levels

About an 8 inch increase

Surging Seas effect on the Rockaways

Other Effects from Global Warming

Permafrost Thawing

Massive collapse of surface due to permafrost melting

“Drunken Forest”

Severe North shore erosion

Release of methane previously locked in permafrost

Severe loss of Corals worldwide

Attributable to pollution including acidification and warming water.

Coral Reef Loss (Bleaching)

Increase in average global atmospheric temperature linked to our over production of CO2

Melting of Polar IceLoss of Glacial IcePermafrost MeltingCoral Reef LossRising Sea levels with larger surges possible

Climate Change is Happening

Can we do anything to help the Earth

and ourselves?

We have done it before.

Canadian Environmental Health Atlas

EPA (Pb in atmosphere)

Lead in Atmosphere

Clean Air Act of 1970(Passed House 374-1and Senate 73-0)

What are the sources increasing CO2 in atmosphere?

Of those which can we change to have the fastest and largest impact on CO2 levels in our atmosphere?

Electrical generation needs are increasing, how can we meet this challenge and not destroy our earth?

If CO2 is the main cause of Climate Change, then:

In summary, the previous chart shows:• Primary sources of energy in the U.S. are :

Petroleum (35%), Natural Gas (23%) and Coal (20%) • Primary consumers of fuels in the U.S. are :Electricity Generation (35%),  Transportation Industry (27%) and the Industrial Sector (21%) • 55% of all energy consumed in the U.S. becomes rejected, unproductive or wasted energy.

From an efficiency perspective, energy generation in the U.S economy is highly inefficient and is lost, mostly, in the form of heat.

Not surprisingly the chart shows:• 75% of the fuel consumed by the transportation industry ends up wasted• 68% of the fuel consumed by electricity generation ends up wasted.

Coal accounts for 82.5% of CO2 emission in electrical generation and 36.5% of the overall US emissions.

U.S. CO2 EmissionsChart records only Oil, Natural Gas, and Coal as CO2 sources. Biomass does release CO2 but LLNL (Lawrence Livermore

National Labs) consider these releases as natural CO2 sourcesWind, Solar, and Hydro have no output once built (neither

does Nuclear –but does produce toxic waste)Natural Gas accounts for 21% of emissions

Oil accounts for 42% of emissions (mostly from autos)Coal accounts for 36.5% of emissions (mostly in generating electricity)

Market forces are beginning to impact vehicle emissions (electric cars, hybrids, more efficient models); however this will increase our need to generate electricity

The vast majority of oil products are consumed by individuals (cars, homes, products), while 93% of Coal is consumed in power plants in the US alone.

Roughly 7000 coal power plants world wide, producing about 40% of the CO2 emissions

Global use of Coal for power generation

Coal’s Environmental CostsMining

60% of coal in US is stripped mined

In WV 300,000 acres and 1000 miles of streams have been destroyed

TransportationUse 14,400 rail cars to supply 1.4

million tons of coal/year to generation plant

Locomotives release air pollution

WV Mountaintop Removal

Jon Amos Power Plant WV

Coal’s Environmental Costs and Risks

A typical Coal generation plant releases: Sulfur dioxides (7000 tons/year with scrubbers) –acid rain Nitrous oxides (3000 tons/yr with catalytic reduction) –SMOG/ resp. problems Particulates (Soot) (99% can be recovered with scrubbers) –respiratory problems Mercury (Hg) – (17 lbs/yr released with activated carbon filters –only 8% of US

plants so equipped) –neurological and vascular toxicity, 1/70th of a teaspoon in 25 acre lake makes fish unsafe to eat (also can release Pb, Cd and As (50 ppb carcinogenic))

125,000 tons of ash per year 193,000 tons of sludge (from scrubbers) stored in waste ponds and

landfills 3.5 million tons of CO2 /yr, 720 tons/yr of CO

Modern Coal Generation Plant with Carbon Sequestration

Requires nearby compatible geological formations

For soot

SO2scrubber

National Mining Assoc.

Modern “improved” Coal Generation

sequestration

Designed over 100 years ago10% energy loss in grid aloneHighly vulnerable to adverse

conditions (costing billions in repair and lost revenue for consumers)

Power Transmission/Distribution

Halving CO2 production by 2050 could stabilize climate change

Allowing only about a 2-3 degree increase in global temperature

Possible Effect of Controlling CO2

The earth with its complex systems are barely understood; can we reasonably expect to successfully tamper with them?

Remediation Proposals (Geoengineering)

To eliminate old out of date Coal generation plants as quickly as possible; this would produce the most benefit and impact on climate change.

We would also decrease the large risks to health and the environment that burning coal represents.

Increase energy efficiency in our generation plants, transmission grids, buildings, homes and vehicles.

Invest in renewable energy, converting the jobs lost in coal to a sustainable industry.

To combat CO2 rise, our best bet is:

Renewable energy: Clean and Green

Wind

SolarGeothermal

Tide and Wave

The benefits:

Cleaner Air and Water for inhabitants of Planet Earth

Less dependence on foreign energy sourcesMore efficient energy production and

transmission should lead to lower costs –doing more with less

Jobs that can’t be exportedHealthier living environments (Estimates for

decreasing coal associated pollutants could prevent as many as 6,600 premature deaths and 150,000 asthma cases in children)

We are the Stewards of this planet. Lets keep it for as long as possible.