Download What is Physical Chemistry?

Stonehill College
Global Warming:
Learn what it is.
Learn what you can do.
Cheryl Schnitzer
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
Average Temperatures of Planets
850F
45F
–46F
Mercury Venus
Earth
Mars
285F
Sun
Venus has a stronger
natural greenhouse effect
than Earth
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/venus.htm
UV, VIS, and IR Light Come In, Only IR Goes Out
The Greenhouse Effect
Sun shines
30% reflect
back into space
GHGs trap
heat in
atmosphere
70% absorbed
Earth’s
surface
warmed
Heat
released
by Earth
Natural GHE: one
blanket
Enhanced GHE:
pile on more
blankets,
accumulate
GHGs
Define
Global warming!
Which gases are good “blankets” to trap IR light?
Not All Greenhouse Gases Are Created Equal
Sources of Carbon Dioxide
Combustion Reaction:
Hydrocarbon + O2(g)  CO2 + H2O + Energy
http://www.fotosearch.com/DGT072/cb025748/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/070809-coal-arctic.html
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_human.html
Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
Photosynthesis dominates during warmer part of year
6 CO2 + 6 H2O → C6H12O6 + 6 O2
Reference: Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory
http://www.bluehill.org/anntemp.gif
Some Effects of Climate Change
Increase number and intensity of hurricanes
Melting glaciers and permafrost
Heat waves more frequent and more intense
Droughts and wildfires more frequent
Global sea level rise
http://www.climatecrisis.org/
Predicted Shift in Wheat-Growing Region
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
Global Peak Oil Production: 2005 – 2015
Compare CO2 emissions for…
2007 Honda Odyssey
2007 Toyota Prius
Mileage:
Mileage:
18 mpg (city), 25 mpg (hway) 60 mpg (city), 51 mpg (hway)
Distance:
12,000 miles per year
Distance:
12,000 miles per year
Fuel use:
558 gallons per year
Fuel use:
216 gallons per year
Emissions:
10,917 lbs CO2 per year
Emissions:
4,226 lbs CO2 per year
http://www.terrapass.com/
Renewable Energy: Does Not Run Out or Pollute
Sources of U.S. electric power 1997
Climate Change in Context of Sustainability
Find Your Place in a Sustainable Future
Think Dennis the Menace
Use compact fluorescent lights (60% less E)
Plant trees (Vatican Climate Forest offset 2007)
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
Use less hot water, less heat, less heat-drying
http://www.blackle.com/
Don’t Ask – DEMAND CHANGE
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to
achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of
landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to
the earth.”
 President John F. Kennedy, May 25, 1961
“And I’m confident that America will fulfill the
commitments that we have made: cutting our
emissions in the range of 17 percent by 2020, and by
more than 80 percent by 2050 in line with final
legislation.”
 President Barach Obama, December 18, 2009 (Copenhagen)