IB+Geography+-+Patterns+(solutions+to+global+warming)

Solutions to global climate change


 * __CLEAN COAL__**

===Coal is one of the dirtiest of all fossil fuels. When coal is burned it produces emissions that add up to global warming, it creates water acid rain and pollute water. It releases carbon dioxide and other emissions in flue gas. Coal generates half of the electricity in the United States and it is likely to continue as long as it’s cheap and plentiful. Currently, the electricity part of the United States is responsible for about 41 percent of the nation’s CO2 emissions, and half of the production comes from coal-fired power plants. Clean coal technology seeks to reduce harsh environmental effects by using multiple technologies to clean coal and contain its emissions. Clean coal technologies also purify the coal before its burns. One type of coal preparation, coal washing, removes unwanted minerals by mixing crushed coal with a liquid and allowing the impurities to separate and settle. Some other methods under clean coal technology are pre-capture, oxy-fuel combustion, and post-capture CCS. ===

__**Public Transportation**__

Public Transportation is one of many solutions that can significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced by vehicles daily and is one step toward reducing air pollution and global warming. According to studies, "private vehicles emit about 95 percent more carbon monoxide, 92 percent more volatile organic compounds and about twice as much carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide than public vehicles for every passenger mile traveled". In the US alone, transportation accounts for more than 30% of the total carbon dioxide emissions. Public transportation saves approximately 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline and about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide each year in the US according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). However, only 14 million Americans use public transportation daily while cars typically carrying one person make 88% of all trips in the United States. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) officials say that ‘Public transportation reduces the number of cars in streets (makes the alleviate traffic congestion wording more redundant), and thus helps improve air quality, alleviate traffic congestion, and noise’. Americans take approximately 10.21 billion trips on public transportation each year. Thankfully, in places such as LA, there are over 2,500 clean air Metro buses, mini buses, and commuter buses, light, heavy and subway trains, van pools, and rideshare programs available. As well as this, public transit services are not only available to residents living within the Los Angeles city limits. According to some, ‘Both bus and trails systems reach a majority of the suburban areas’. The number of buses using alternative fuels has increased greatly in the past 10 years. It would also be manageable for someone to live in the Los Angeles area without a car, and still have a way to get around. “With the second largest transit property in the country, Metro’s system picks up over 1.5 million passengers per weekday.” As well as this, “Metro also encourages and supports vanpooling and cycling as modes of transportation.” Diesel and gas accounted for nearly 90% of all fuel consumed by buses in 2000, but by 2009 this number had dropped to 75%. Overall, using public transportation saves CO2 emissions in more ways than simply travel as public transportation can help to alleviate traffic congestion as well as promote more efficient land use. When all three of these are considered, it is estimated that 37 million metric tones of CO2 in the US will be saved annually.

- Emily Forde

__**Multi governmental agreements**__

KYOTO AGREEMENT

The Kyoto Protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Kyoto Protocol sets binding targets for 37 industrialized countries and the European community for reducing greenhouse gas emissions .These amount to an average of five per cent against 1990 levels over the five-year period 2008-2012. Recogniizng that developed countries are more responsible for the current high levels of greenhouse gases over the last 150 years, the protocol places a heavier burden on developed countries under the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities”.

TheKyotomechanisms are- and they help stimulate green investment and help parties involved meet their emissions targets in a cost efficient manor.


 * 1) emissions trading- carbon market
 * 2) clean development mechanism
 * 3) Joint implementation

Under the protocol countries’ emissions have to be monitored using registry systems, reporting, compliance, adaption, and the adaption fund

__** Removing CO2 from the atmosphere **__

Removing CO2 from the atmosphere could have potentially positive effects in the effort to stop global warming. Removing CO2 will cause less radiation to be deflected back towards earth and therefore reducing the Greehouse effect. Most methods that are proposed would trap the CO2 directly from the source. This means that, for example, at a coal plant the CO2 would be directly extracted from the concentrated source of CO2. Since these large power plants are the biggest concentrated source of CO2 these are practical and logical solutions. The main problem with these solutions is the fact that the extracted CO2 must now be transported to a permanent storage facility We also must take into account the fact that there are other sources of CO2, for example in cars. On board CO2 capture is currently not a scientifically realistic option for cars.There is currently a new method under considerations by a few environmental scientists. The method they propose would be CO2 capture centers which are simultaneously the permanent storage facilities. The facilities have a sort of windmill system that captures the CO2 with sorbents that use alkaline, sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. This process would cost about 10$-15$ per ton of CO2. However, this method of capturing CO2 is still only experimental and cannot be fully implemented yet. Critics say that since this method has not ye been properly tested, it may not even work. Furthermore, Princeton engineer Robert Socolow lead a team that researched direct CO2 removal from the air. They concluded that it is not a economically viable to remove minuscule amounts of CO2. It would be far more beneficial to just prevent CO2 emissions in the first place. Current working methods to extract 1 ton of CO2 from the atmosphere cost several hundred dollars.

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-Niklas Dorsch

Wind Energy As A Viable Renewable Energy Source:

Wind energy has been around since the first ships with sails. It is a source of energy that can produce large amounts of energy with no harmful pollutants. Also, after, the 20 story with three 200 foot blades, wind turbines have been erected their costs are very little. Wind turbines at the end of last year produced 70, 000 megawatts of energy. A single megawatt can power around 250 homes, and the largest turbines can power 600 U.S. homes. Over the past decade wind energy has increased by 25%, however it still only accounts for a small percent of the worlds energy resource. Wind energy is very exploited in Germany where Germany leads the way with 8750 MW of electrical energy produced from wind energy. However, wind energy is not a reliable energy source and requires nature’s cooperation. 50% of the U.S. can utilize wind energy to power their homes. In conclusion wind energy is a viable candidate as a new renewable energy source, however it is not able, at this moment in time, to provide energy to the entire world.

__ SOLAR ENERGY __ Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaic (PV), or indirectly using concentrated solar power (CSP). PV converts light into electric current using the photoelectric effect. Solar energy refers primarily to the use of solar radiation for practical ends. However, all renewable energies, other than geothermal and tidal, derive their energy from the sun. Solar technologies are broadly characterized as either passive or active depending on the way they capture, convert and distribute sunlight. Active solar techniques use photovoltaic panels, pumps, and fans to convert sunlight into useful outputs. Passive solar techniques include selecting materials with favorable thermal properties, designing spaces that naturally circulate air, and referencing the position of a building to the Sun. Active solar technologies increase the supply of energy and are considered supply side technologies, while passive solar technologies reduce the need for alternate resources and are generally considered demand side technologies. The Earth receives 174 petawatts (PW) of incoming solar radiation (insolation) at the upper atmosphere. Approximately 30% is reflected back to space while the rest is absorbed by clouds, oceans and land masses. The spectrum of solar light at the Earth's surface is mostly spread across the visible and near-infrared ranges with a small part in the near-ultraviolet. The total solar energy absorbed by Earth's atmosphere, oceans and land masses is approximately 3,850,000 exajoules (EJ) per year. An example of a use for solar energy include the fact that solar cookers use sunlight for cooking, drying and Pasteurization.

__**The solutions of climate change and national policies**__

The Clean Air Act is the federal law designed to make sure that all Americans have air that is safe to breathe and to reduce the carbon emissions impacting our earth's ozone layer. This law has been a tremendous success. The air is cleaner and public health has improved.

Emissions of toxic lead have dropped 98 percent. Emissions of sulfur dioxide have dropped by 35 percent percent even though the gross domestic product has more than doubled. Emissions of carbon monoxide have dropped by 32 percent even though driving has increased 127 percent. EPA projects that the Clean Air Act Amendments will prevent over 230,000 early deaths in 2020. Even so, many areas of the country still violate the basic health standards, and the health of tens of millions of Americans remains at risk.

(in cases) ||~ Year 2020 (in cases) ||
 * The 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments prevent**:
 * ~  ||~ Year 2010
 * Adult Mortality - particles || 160,000 || 230,000 ||
 * Infant Mortality - particles || 230 || 280 ||
 * Mortality - ozone || 4300 || 7100 ||
 * Chronic Bronchitis || 54,000 || 75,000 ||
 * Heart Disease - Acute Myocardial Infarction || 130,000 || 200,000 ||
 * Asthma Exacerbation || 1,700,000 || 2,400,000 ||
 * Emergency Room Visits || 86,000 || 120,000 ||
 * School Loss Days || 3,200,000 || 5,400,000 ||
 * Lost Work Days || 13,000,000 || 17,000,000 ||