Paris Climate Talks

Paris summary from the Guardian

The final sentence of the article is very revealing:   
The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.

Eternal Summer... of the most disastrous kind

Study Predicts Antarctica Ice Melt if All Fossil Fuels Are Burned

From the NY Times, comes an article (link above) about global warming and burning fossil fuels that is best summed up by this quote:

“To be blunt: If we burn it all, we melt it all,” said Ricarda Winkelmann, a researcher at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany and the lead author of a paper published Friday in the journal Science Advances.

 Calving glacier on South Georgia, 2007 - Bill Fintel photo

To me the moral issues are as profound as any we have ever faced. From the article:

“What right do we have to do things that, even if they don’t affect us, are going to be someone else’s problem a thousand years from now?” asked Ian Joughin, an ice sheet expert at the University of Washington who was not involved in the new research. “Is it fair to do that so we can go on burning fuel as fast as we can?”

 

Natural Gas, Coal, and Climate Change

An Associated Press article in the NY Times titled,

Natural Gas Overtakes Coal in U.S. Electric Generation 

caught my attention, as I was not aware of the total magnitude of natural gas in U.S. electric generation. Natural gas has a distinct advantage over coal in electric generation, namely only about half the amount of carbon dioxide is emitted (1). But it also has drawbacks, such as methane leakage, and disruption of local communities. For a very thorough analysis of natural gas' role in averting climate change, read Joe Nocera's analysis in the NY Times Opinion Pages titled,

Shale Gas and Climate Change

This Week at Interior

I have posted some of these weekly segments before, but in case you have forgotten that YOU can get them sent directly to you....here is today's.  Overall, I am very impressed, particularly with Secretary Jewell's clear insight into the issues.

Wind Power to Hydrogen Fuel for Transportation

Hydrogen is a very clean fuel. Convert hydrogen to electric energy in a fuel cell to power a vehicle, and exhaust H2O (water vapor). A clean way to make hydrogen is via electrolysis of liquid water.

Now wait one minute....Your are going to use electricity.... to make hydrogen...... to make electricity??? And you are going to tell me that makes sense???

Apparently it does, if you take into account electricity is very difficult and costly to store...read big, expensive batteries, whereas hydrogen is relatively easy to store, although a potentially very dangerous item if mishandled, or misused. Hydrogen has the additional advantages of longer range per fill-up, and much faster refueling time.

So has Tesla met its match? Probably not, but they seem to have found some competition. Read the following linked article from Renewable Energy World:

German Wind-to-Hydrogen Plant Takes Car-Fuel Battle to Tesla

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Settlement

From the International NY Times comes this article about
BP's $18.7 Billion Settlement

My only comment is that proper training, planning and engineering would have been a MUCH better way for BP to spend their $'s..... so the disaster could have been averted.

Deep Ocean Fish, Earth's Carbon Cycle and Climate Change

This is a link that has not been studied much in the past because the total mass of deep ocean fish was estimated to be relatively small. Recent studies however are showing that this estimate is incorrect, and that the total numbers and mass of deep ocean (mesopelagic zone) fish is in fact enormous.

Following are highlights from the NY Times article, Dark Regions of the Ocean May Shed Light on Climate Change and Other Issues:

.......Dr. Irigoien’s expedition, which included oceanographers from Spain, Australia and Norway, sailed the globe in 2010 and 2011 and last year produced a detailed report that estimated the overall bulk of mesopelagic fishes at 10 billion tons, and perhaps even more......

That figure is not only 10 times the earlier estimate but 100 times the globe’s annual catch of seafood and 200 times the estimated biomass of the world’s 24 billion chickens, considered the most numerous vertebrate on land.

Seawater absorbs tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, including that produced by the burning of fossil fuels. The creatures, in turn, use carbon to build their bodies, which eventually join the rain of life detritus into the abyss. (The bodies of humans are about 18 percent carbon, and those of mesopelagic fish about 8 percent.)

This carbon uptake by mesopelagic life prompted Villy Christensen, a fish scientist at the University of British Columbia, to call the deep creatures “unrecognized allies against climate change” and to oppose their harvesting.

This little fish, the Bristlemouth, sure looks like an ally to me.  

 Picture from the NY Times

Thanks to my sister-in-law Dianne for pointing out the above article

A new positive note on climate change action

Electric propulsion of aircraft:

When will I buy a ticket?....probably never....but I love the new technology.

Why politically motivated science is good science

Climate denialism is the real “hoax”: Why “politically motivated” science is good science  

The above linked article by Naomi Oreskes published in Salon presents an excellent case for government funded research on climate change.

We knew....BUT the remedies seemed so dificult!!!

The above pessimistic carton is from THE RECORDER, of Greenfield, Mass.

A one line quote by Ban Ki Moon from the linked article:
"....Climate change is the defining issue of our time."

It is an excellent article. The lead in paragraph is a real eye opener:

"On April 28, Cardinal Peter Turkson, released the following statement, “In our recklessness, we are traversing some of the planet’s most fundamental natural boundaries, and the lesson from the Garden of Eden still rings true today: pride, hubris, self-centeredness are always perilous, indeed destructive. The very technology that has brought great reward is now poised to bring great ruin."

Norway Makes a Historic Decision.....

Norway Makes a Historic Decision to Divest of Fossil Fuel Investments.

There is little I can add, except to say that this is a monumental decision for the good of life on Earth, and also that 350.org plus the Guardian, are doing a magnificent job to make the World aware of the climate disasters posed by continued burning of fossil fuels.

Oceans and Climate Change

The New York Times has just published a fascinating article about a 4 year study of ocean pelagic small organisms, from viruses and bacteria, to crustaceans, jelly fish, and salps. Be sure to watch the slide show, it is truly AMAZING!!!
  
Scientists Sample the Ocean and Find Tiny Additions to the Tree of Life
“A lot of what we didn’t really ever see before in the ocean are predators and parasites, zombies and vampires that are floating through this incredible set of diversity, battling it out,” Dr. Palumbi said. “All these tiny little critters add up to something that is really a part of the way our planet operates.”

The Guardian, Keep it in the Ground, an appeal to Bill Gates

On this LINK, you will find a wonderful video from the people of the World, seeking help with minimizing the threats of climate change. The video speaks directly to Bill Gates, a person who has huge resources and a good heart, so hopefully he will respond by helping keep carbon fuels in the ground..... at least via one route of divesting investments in fossil fuel companies.

This Week at Interior... saving sagebrush lands out west

I really liked this week's short video. The Department of the Interior and Secretary Jewell seem to be doing a lot of good in many unpublicized ways.......like saving habitat for Sage Grouse, and protecting the rights of native Americans in our western states, including their rights to oil and gas reserves being extracted from their lands. Click HERE to view the short video.

Weather Extremes and Carbon Emissions....a Tighter Link

Yes the link between slowly rising global temperatures and weather extremes has been postulated by many scientists and concerned alike, now the scientific community is coming together to say, YES, this is a cause and effect happening due to our steadily increasing carbon emissions.

For more details, see the NY Times article: 
New Study Links Weather Extremes to Global Warming

45th Anniversary of Earth Day

Yes, the first Earth Day was 45 years ago. I wonder what happened to the early, very positive acceptance and impact Earth Day had??? Maybe making money and staying elected got in the way?

Link to above NASA photo and article.

Carbon Capture and Storage...CCS

I have always been skeptical of this approach to reducing carbon emissions, because it has to obey the laws of thermodynamics, and hence will be very expensive to carry out, even with unique carbon capture schemes. But if one gets right to the heart of doing it as efficiently as thermodynamically possible...well maybe it will be a viable solution for reducing carbon emissions, especially from coal fired power plants.

So here is a link to the best lead I have seen to achieve this:
ATMI-Brightblack

Large Scale Battery Storage of Electricity

This is a highly desirable approach to making solar and wind power generation key players in low carbon emissions power generation. When the sun sets, or when the wind does not blow, these two forms of power generation are of little or no value. But if the electricity generated when the sun shines, or the wind blows, could be stored and used later, then we have a means of consistent wind and solar power supply.

Large efficient batteries can achieve this, and some are being built for just such a purpose...... And still more efficient batteries are being developed. For details on what is in the works, read Gates, Pritzkers Take on Musk in $5 Billion Race for Battery Storage

Youths in Action to Minimize Climate Change...with recent Yale student action

When our youngest citizens get it right about climate change.....AND TAKE ACTION....
I think maybe our Earth...... and the Life on it....... might have a chance.

So from Forbes, an encouraging article titled: Why Teenagers Are Suing States Over Climate Change

UPDATE...........And from 350.org about Yale students tackling climate change:
"On April 9th, a group of 19 students with Fossil Free Yale were arrested for refusing to leave a university building."

And one more link you may not have caught from the previous link:
Fossil Free USA 

The Dutch are NOT going under...video links from today's class

1/3 of Holland, aka the Netherlands, is below sea level...and sea level is rising. So can their dikes continue to keep the water out? Even the Dutch say NO.

But the Dutch are a very creative people, as I know first hand working with them in Luxembourg , where at a DuPont plant we were making a spunbonded polypropylene geotextile fabric that the Dutch were using to stabilize their dikes.

So on to the links:
#1 which we saw today the TED presentation by  Koen Olthuis
#2 Koen Olthuis on NPR
#3 BBC video, where the Brits are learning from the Dutch  

My perspective?...There is hope....IF Politics do not get too much more in the way.

Me? I am doing the best I can for all of us, especially our children.

Prime Hook NWR and our last Oceans and Climate Change Class, 3/30/15

This short post confirms that the main topic for our last class will be a presentation about Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge coastal restoration plans, given by Al Rizzo, Project Leader, Coastal Delaware National Wildlife Refuge Complex. As I mentioned in our Mar 23 class, the plans, aka Draft Environmental Assessment, are available on-line. See my March 11, 2015 post, or just go directly to Building a Stronger Coast.

Above photo of Fowler Beach at Prime Hook, from Cape Gazette

Al has said his presentation will be 20 to 25 minutes. I have promised him unlimited time afterwards for questions and answers. If his presentation is convincing (which I am sure it will be), and questions are few, I will conclude our last class by presenting information on "Floating Cities"...a topic which, as an engineer, I find both fascinating and applicable to what the World faces.

 Above photo of 3 floating slum buildings from waterstudio.nl

New Washington Post article on Thermohaline Circulation (THC)

Maybe somebody out there is listening...this Washington Post Article was posted at 12:30 pm today...15 minutes after our class ended, and I had asked for updates on this topic.

It is a very concise and easy to read article, mostly based on new research by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, which I had referenced in last week's class.

In a nutshell, the THC did recently slow down, as we saw last week, then it has sped back up for a temporary period of time, and now it seems to be slowing down again. Accelerated melting of Greenland glaciers introducing lower density freshwater into the North Atlantic is the primary suspect for the present THC slowdown.

So please get updated on this situation, and read the above linked Washington Post article. As with most of their articles, it is clear, concise and well researched.

Me?, I am off to design a floating city for Lewes and nearby residents....more on that in our next and last class.

Sub Ocean Volcanism..... and Climate Change

Yes, this is a topic that rarely makes headlines....BUT it appears to be far more important than previously thought. From Columbia University's, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory:

Seafloor Volcano Pulses May Alter Climate
And a few highlight quotes from this link:

Volcanically active mid-ocean ridges crisscross earth’s seafloors like stitching on a baseball, stretching some 37,000 miles. They are the growing edges of giant tectonic plates; as lavas push out, they form new areas of seafloor, which comprise some 80 percent of the planet’s crust.

Some scientists think volcanoes may act in concert with Milankovitch cycles--repeating changes in the shape of earth’s solar orbit, and the tilt and direction of its axis—to produce suddenly seesawing hot and cold periods.

All I can add is that our Earth system is VERY complicated....BUT none of this information takes away from the impact we humans are imposing with hugely increasing greenhouse gas emmissions, especially CO2.