GSVS 2050: Key Terms and Facts

The Anthropocene

An unofficial unit of geologic time, used to describe the most recent period in Earth’s history when human activity became the dominant impact upon the planet’s climate and ecosystems

Energy

A fundamental entity of nature usually regarded as the capacity for doing work

Kilowatt-hours (kWh)

a unit of energy, the amount of watts consumed in one hour

Calories

a unit of energy used to describe energy in food

Quad

One quadrillion BTUs, used to describe national scale of consumption

First Law of Thermodynamics

The total energy of an isolated system is constant. Energy can be transformed from one from to another. It cannot be created or destroyed

Second Law of Thermodynamics

It is not possible to convert one form of energy to another with 100% efficiency

Efficiency

What percentage of primary energy delivers useful work

Energy conservation

The prevention of energy waste through changes to human habits and routines (and to technology)

Power

Energy per unit time, the rate of doing work, the amount of energy consumed or transferred per unit time

Watt

Joule/sec

Magnitudes: 3, 6, 9, 12

Kilo, Mega, Giga, Terra

Sustainable

Using resources in a manner that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of people and the planet to prosper now and into the future

Energy system

an organized collection of connected components designed to perform work for humanity

Primary energy source, acquisition, generation, transmission, storage, distribution, human consumption

steps of an energy system

Primary energy

an energy form found in nature that has not been subjected to any human engineered conversion or transformation process

Energy carriers

energy forms which have been transformed from primary energy sources to meet human needs

Top 3 coal producers

China, Indonesia, India

Top 3 Oil Producers

USA, Saudi Arabia, Russia

Top 3 Natural Gas Producers

USA, Russia, Iran

What are three shale deposits and their locations?

Permian (West Texas), Bakken (MT, ND), and Marcellus (Ohio)

Top Five Primary Energy Consumers

China, India, the United States, Japan, Russia

Greenhouse Gases

CO2, Methane/natural gas, nitrous oxide, fluorinated gases, water vapor, ozone

Keeling Curve

Curve that shows the rise of atmospheric CO2

Scope 1, Scope 2, Scope 3 emissions

direct emissions on-site, indirect emissions from electricity, all other indirect emissions (products)

Photons

“packets” that carry discrete amounts of energy

Where do emissions come from and what percent?

Transportation (30), Industry (40), Commercial-Residential (30)

Photon absorption

the full transfer of a photon’s energy to an atom or molecule

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

UN group to provide the world with an objective, scientific view of climate change and its impacts

How do we reduce global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees?

1\.5: 45% reduction by 2030, net zero by 2050

2: 20% reduction from 2010 levels by 2030, net zero by 2075

How much warmer is the planet now compared to pre-Industrial times?

1\.1 to 1.2 degrees

Conference of the Parties (COP)

supreme decision-making body to combat climate change

Nationally determined contributions

each country sets its own reduction target, no enforcement

Sociotechnical imaginaries

imagined forms of social life and order that center on the development and fulfillment of innovative scientific and/or technological projects

Cumulative risk

multiple issues caused by humans, not just climate change, threaten a system

Water cycle

a biogeochemical cycle that describes the continuous movement of water on, above, or below Earth’s surface

Atmospheric rivers

Long, narrow regions of atmosphere that transport most water vapor outside the tropics

Attribution science

a field of research that examines whether and by how much climate change may be responsible for specific extreme weather events

Factor of attributable risk

a number that indicates how much climate change influences an extreme event

Coal

a nonhomogenous sybstance that has no fixed chemical formula

Natural gas

a single hydrogen-carbon compound, CH4, (hydrocarbon) that is also known as methane

Crude Oil

a mix of hydrocarbons also known as petroleum

Volumetric energy density

energy per unit volume

Fugitive emissions

unintended gas leaks

Venting

releasing methane directly into the atmosphere

Flaring

Burning methane into the atmosphere as CO2

Rapid intensification

Hurricanes gain 35 miles per hour of wind in 24 hours

What percentage of our energy came from fossil fuels 50 years ago? Now? What’s the goal for fifty years from now?

90, 80, 0

Wet bulb temperature

the lowest temperature to which air can be cooled by evaporating water into the air

Comorbidity

the presence of one or more additional conditions often occurring with a primary condition

Environmental justice

All people and communities have the right to equal environmental protection under the law, and the right to live, work, and play in communities that are safe, healthy, and free of life-threatening conditions

Redlining

refusal to provide a loan or insurance to someone because they live in an area deemed to be a poor financial risk

Energy burden

the percentage of household income that is turned toward energy costs

Heat island effect

A measurable increase in ambient urban air temperatures that results from the replacement of vegetation with buildings, roads, and other heat-absorbing infrastructure

Time Value of Money

the idea that money available now is worth more than the same amount of money that you can’t access until some time in the future, due to its potential earning capacity

Net Present Value

the present value of future cash flows (in and out) of a project at the required or expected rate of return, compared to the initial investment

Levelized Cost of Energy

the price a power plant must charge for a unit of electricity to break even

Dispatchable

an energy source that can be called upon or turned off at will

Integrated Assessment Model

quantitatively links the main features of the biosphere and atmosphere with society and the economy

Social Cost of Carbon

the net present value of climate change impacts over the next 100 years from one ton of carbon emitted today

Sociotechnical endeavor

a technology venture shaped not only by science and engineering but also by history, culture, politics, and economics

Revenue

earnings from the sale of access to an energy system

Expenses

payments associated with construction, operations, and maintenance of an energy system

Value

Revenue - expenses

Externality

the side effect of an activity that affects others without being reflected in the cost of goods or services

Polluter pays principle

the polluter bears the cost of pollution controls and cleanup

Carbon tax/dividend

establishes a price on greenhouse gas emissions - so companies are charged a dollar amount for every ton of emissions they produce

Cap-and-trade/cap-and-invest

issues a set number of emissions allowances each year that can be reduced annually

Carbon border adjustment mechanism

importers pay for the carbon emissions associated with a product when coming into the EU

Institutional investors

organizations that invest on behalf of their members (pensions, endowments, commercial banks)

Public investors

state investment

Individual investors

private citizens, angel investors, and venture capitalists

(Multilateral) development banks

financial institutions that are designed to provide capital for productive investment often accompanied by technical assistance in developing countries

Subsidy

a sum of money granted by the government or a public body to assist industry, business, or consumer so that the price of a commodity/service remains low or competitive

Stranded asset

a valuable item that has suffered an unanticipated or premature write-down, devaluation, or conversion to liabilities

Property-assessed clean energy financing (PACE)

Funding is secured by a (senior) lien on a property and is repaid through a charge on the owner’s property tax bill

Green bank

a source of capital for clean energy products, with lenders generating a rate of return

Just transition

a deliberate effort to plan for and invest in a shift to environmentally and socially sustainable jobs, sectors, and economies

Entrenched interests

groups that advance or defend “their” agendas with voice and power

Libertarianism

a political philosophy that advocates for minimal state intervention in the free market and the private lives of citizens

Constitutional republic

Democratic elections and the rule of law

Federal government

Layers of national, state, and local

Separation of power

Legislative makes the laws, executive administers the laws, and judicial interprets the laws

Oligarchy

a small group of people having control of a country

Autocracy

a system of government by one person with absolute power

Constitutional law

the top framework of rules

Supremacy clause

federal law is supreme law of the land

Legislative statutes

source of laws within the top framework

Administrative rules

rules that describe how laws are applied

Case law

interpretation of the laws through real cases

Commerce Clause

Congress shall have the power to regulate Commerce with foreign nations and among the several states

The Takings Clause

nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation

Eminent domain

the power to take land within the country’s borders for any purpose that is deemed necessary or beneficial

Just compensation

compensation received when property is seized by the government for public use

Due process clause

nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law

Regulations and standards

administrative rules, implementation of legislation, the operational implementation of the law, subject to challenge

Net metering

a state-level electricity billing mechanism that allows consumers who generate extra electricity to send that energy back to the grid and earn a credit upon which they can later draw

Quantity instruments

a specific quantity set by government

Renewable portfolio standards (RPS)

require the increased production of energy from renewable sources

Public procurement

government is a large owner of transportation and commercial spaces. It can mandate certain purchasing strategies