ess: chapter 7 - climate change and energy production

energy security

ability to secure affordable, reliable and sufficient energy supplies for a country

factors influencing energy choices

• availability of supply (national or imported)

• technological development (new energy sources)

• politics (security, nuclear)

• economics

• cultural attitudes (love for motor car)

• sustainability

• environmental considerations (affected by Fukushima)

energy conservation

can limit growth in energy demand, contribute to energy security

Ukraine-Russia gas disputes

Russian gas exported to Europe flows through Ukraine, Russia exerts power because they can cut of Ukrainian supply

shale oil

oil from shale rock fragments, large in the US

non-renewable energy sources

• gas

• oil

• coal

• nuclear

renewable energy sources

• combustible renewables, renewable waste

• hydro

• geothermal

• wind

• solar

nuclear fission

uses uranium

nuclear fusion

uses heavy water to fuse hydrogen atoms (not yet feasible)

weather

daily result of changes of temperature, pressure and precipitation. can only predict ≈5 days ahead

climate

average weather pattern for many years. shows long-term trends and changes

climate change

influencing factors:

• fluctuations in solar insolation (affecting temperature)

• changing proportions of gases in atmosphere (released by organisms)

tipping point

passing it means reaching a new equilibrium

enhanced greenhouse effect

human emission of GHGs enhances the greenhouse effect, causing global warming and climate change

global warming potential (GWP)

the greenhouse effect of a GHG gas molecule; how much heat it can trap

eg. carbon dioxide GWP of 1, methane of 21

five ways the climate can change overtime

1. direct relationship

2. buffering action (non-linear)

3. slow then accelerate (to new equilibrium)

4. tipping point

5. stuck at new equilibrium, then fall rapidly

climate change impact on oceans and sea levels

• rising, because water expands as it heats and ice melts

• oceans absorb CO2 making them slightly acidic, harming eg. corals

climate change impact on polar ice caps

• sea levels rise

• diluted salt, slowing down North Atlantic Drift current and Gulf Stream

• making arctic regions available for exploitation and trapped methane release

climate change impact on glaciers

as they melt:

• flooding, landslides

• lack of fresh water in Asian rivers (they disappear and their summer melt does too)(Gangers, Yangtze)

• drought problems (Kilimanjaro glacier)

climate change impact on weather patterns

more storms, rain and drought

climate change impact on food production

biomes shift away from fertile soils, or the opposite. NPP estimated to change -70% to +11%

climate change impact on biodiversity and ecosystems

• tundra permafrost melts → methane

• polar species extinct

• changes on marine life due to salinity

• wildfires due to droughts wipe out habitats

• peat bogs burn continuously for years (eg. Indonesia

• invasive insects not killed by cold temperatures

climate change impact on water supplies

increased evaporation rates → lakes and rivers dry up → water supply drained → populations moved

climate change impact on human migration

climate refugees because no food or water

climate change impact on land use

• easier to exploit materials in polar regions

• Northwest Passage (Atlantic to Pacific) navigable in winter

• agricultural production rises in higher latitudes, falls in tropics

mitigation

reduce causes of climate change

reduction and/or stabilisation of GHG emissions and their removal from the atmosphere. anthropogenic intervention to reduce anthropogenic climate change, including strategies to reduce GHG sources and emissions

adaptation

manage impacts of climate change

adjustment in natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change effects.

mitigation strategy: stabilise or reduce GHGs

• reduce energy consumption

  • reduce demand

  • subsides and national limits

  • carbon credits

  • improve energy production efficiency

• reduce emissions from agriculture

  • methane from cows by changing diets

  • sustainability

• use alternatives to fossil fuels

mitigation strategy: remove CO2 from atmosphere

1. increase photosynthesis

2. carbon capture and storage (CCS)

3. use more biomass for fuel

carbon capture and storage (CCS)

remove CO2 before released into atmosphere, by capturing it in industries and power stations. then storing it in rocks

mitigation strategy: geo-engineering

large scale intervention projects:

• scatter iron, nitrates, phosphates → increase algal bloom → take up more carbon

• release sulphur dioxide from planes → global dimming

• mirrors in space to deflect solar radiation

• light coloured roofs to increase albedo

adaptation strategies

1. change land use through legislation

2. build to resist flooding

3. change agricultural production (irrigation, rainwater storage, different crops)

4. manage the weather (seed clouds, plant trees)

5. migration

6. vaccination

7. manage water supplies (desalination, increase reservoirs)

eg of international action

• IPCC - UN incentive about climate assessment

• NAPA - National Programme of Action, how LEDCs should adapt to climate change

• Kyoto Protocol - legally binding commitment for 160 nations to reduce GHG before 2012