Download Global Economy and Extreme Poverty

Climate Change and
how to help slow it down
Dr. Sandra Cruz-Pol
•ECE UPRM
•Director - CLiMMATe Lab (CLoud Microwave
Measurements of ATmospheric Events)
• PI @ UPRM- for the Center for Collaborative Adaptive
Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA)
Climate Change
Scientific consensus: is caused mainly
because of human activity, such as
CO2 emissions.*
* According to the report from the UN-IPCC 2007.
IPCC
Intergovernamental Panel on Climate Change
www.ipcc.ch
En estas gráficas
se compara los
modelos naturales
y antropogénicos
con las medidas
reales.
Human Activities
For example:
• CO2 emissions to the atmosphere: cars,
electricity, water
• Deforestation – construction
• Contamination
• other greenhouse gases like methane(22x),
nitrous oxides (310x)
Global Warming
Consequences
• Extreme weather
–
–
–
–
–
Storms
Floods, droughts
Cold winters, heat waves
Sea level
Impact on agriculture, species, economy, health, etc
Social impacts
• Sub-Saharan Africa
produces about 3% of
the world’s greenhouse
gases, yet…
• Its climate and
ecological systems have
already been altered by
global warming and will
undergo further damage
in the years ahead.
www.un.org
Demonstrators in Nairobi, Kenya,
protest failure of developed
countries to curb emissions of
greenhouse gases.
A 2006 report by
economist Sir
Nicholas Stern
suggests that
global warming
could shrink the
global economy
by 20%!
Global average temperature
Years: 1860-2000
}
Cold due to sulfuric emissions: (1940-1970)
which caused lung cancer, asthma & acid rain
Clean Air Act
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared
/spl/hi/sci_nat/04/climate_ch
ange/html/climate.stm
Costa Rica
First official lost species due to
Global warming:
golden toad
Also corals are bleaching
All over the world.
Some of its
consequences are
irreversible
Permafrost
Glaciers
Worst case scenario:
Ocean conveyor belt stops
Due to change in salinity, if Artic keeps melting, this current could stop, creating a small
ice age in Europe and North America. [IPCC]
World Population Growth
2000
6
1987
It took all human history to
reach 1 billion in 1800.
5
1975
4
1960
1930
2
1800
1
0
10,000 BC
5,000 BC
Year 0
1000
2000
billions
3
On top of this…
New blooming
economies want to live
their own version of the
“American Dream”.
Example: in China, the traditional bicycle lane was closed to
lay way to an extra automobile lane. India is now also
flourishing economically and greatly increasing their CO2
emissions.
The Good News is that…
we can make a
difference …
while saving $$$
Solution?
• You just have to turn a bit GREEN!
Save $$$, and
…help the planet
Every time we use:
• electricity
• gasoline
• products
• water
We send emissions to the
atmosphere that warms it more.
Water
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Dry Season
Wet Season
In PR global warming is expected to
decrease rain by 10-20%!
Water
• When we save water, we save
$ and CO2 emissions
• Buy shower head of 1.5-2gpm
Saving water…
Water saving kits like this
from the EcoStore can
save up to 40% of water
bill!
In PR this is equivalent to
$15-$20 per month for a
typical family.
Saving water…
Cost: $1/gallon (tipical use
40 gallons/ 2 month)
Cost filter: $4-$6 is equivalent
to 40 gallons!
Total Cost: $40/ 40 gallons Total Cost: $5/40 gallons
Difference; $40- $5 = $35
more expensive
(And you save the effort of
recycling the 40 bottles!)
Savings: $35 (every 2 mo.)
Environmental Savings; 40
bottles derived from
petroleum!
Paper use
• Print on both sides, minimize color.
• Use recycle paper, 100% post-consumer
• Cancel Catalogs
• Subscribe to online magazines, Pay online
Avoid millions of tree from being chop down
Zinio.com
Reforestation
• Plant trees
– Lower your home temperature up to
10F!,
– Increase value of your property!
– Reduce CO2 emissions
Natural Resources gives you up
to 200 free trees!
Small changes, make a big difference:
Products
Effect on the Planet…
Every time we buy plastic, glass, aluminum and
paper, and other products, we are indirectly
emitting more greenhouse gases like CO2 to
the atmosphere that warms it even more.
Be a wise consumer
• Buy less!
• Give away what you don’t use.
Don’t through batteries to the trash!
• They contain many toxics,
heavy metals like mercury
that poison our water
bodies, when it rains of the
landfills.
• Recycle them!.
• Use rechargeable batteries..
Same with cell phones, and
other electronics
Busca la lista de centros de acopio de baterías en http://campusverde.uprm.edu
Rechargeable Batteries
(4 AA + 4 AAA)
Save $100+ for each one!
*
Eat less Meat
• Methane is 20x stronger than CO2 in
capturing IR
• Could be capture and use to generate
energy.
Landfills produce
methane gas
Mass Animal Farming
produces methane gas
Effect of What we Eat to Climate
Change
“…raising animals for food
generates more greenhouse gases
than all the cars and trucks in the
world combined”. 2006 U.N. report
According to a 2006 study by U. of Chicago;
Eating a vegan diet prevents the equivalent
of 1.5 tons of CO2 emissions every year,
more than the 1 ton of CO2 emissions
prevented by switching from a typical large
sedan to a Toyota Prius.
Eat less Meat to help the Planet…
So why does meat cause so much global warming?
• Growing feed for farmed animals requires intense use of
synthetic fertilizer, which releases N2O– a far stronger
greenhouse gas than even CO2 .
• The tens of billions of farmed animals of the world produce
massive amounts of flatulence and liquid manure, which
release large amounts of methane into the atmosphere as
well as forming nitrous oxide, both of which are powerful
green house gases.
• Heating buildings that house farm animals – emission of
green house gases
"Rearing Cattle Produces More Greenhouse Gases Than Driving Cars, UN Report
Warns," UN News Centre, 29 Nov. 2006.
Is it Sustainable?
70-90% of all planted cereals are destined to feed
animals of consumption
100 acres of land yield enough to feed
– 28 meat-eating humans
– 400 vegetarians
Necessary WATER to produce a pound of:
7000
6000
Pounds of Water
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
meat
potatoes
wheat
corn
rice
Styrofoam
• Generates many toxic gases &
CO2 during their production.
• NOT biodegradable, are
prohibited in many cities in the
U.S.
• Releases styrene, which related to
cancer.
• More expensive than reusable
dinnerware.
Sell your “Trash”
Recycle, Reuse , Reduce:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
cardboard
Plastic
Aluminum cans
Glass
Batteries
Water
Cooking oil
leaves
Methane
MBytes
If we don’t recycle…
• More emissions of methane, CO2 and other toxic
and greenhouse gases
• Which contribute to climate change.
• Waste of virgin material – limited material in the
planet, so not sustainable!
Recycle correctly:
NO straws
NO cups
*Only #1 y #2
About materials…
• Plastics consume energy when
– fabricated
– transport
• Steel and aluminum emit CO2 when produced
• Mass animal Farming and landfill emit methane
• Paper production decreases absorption of CO2 in the
atmosphere due to deforestation.
What should I buy?
• Reduced packaging
• Concentrated Products
*All packages need large amounts of
energy to be produces, and many emit
tons of CO2 in the atmosphere
annually.
X3
x1
Compost
• Recycle leaves, and
other waste
• It’s better for your
health and the
environment.
• Organic food (better
health, less Br)
What should I buy?
• A fiberglass pool
employs 1/3 of the
energy than a
concrete pool.
Save Mbytes!
• Saves materials & energy
How? Cut each
Picture, then
Paste Special in
JPG or GIF
Format.
OR> Right-click on figure, press Format Figure, Compress , All, or
change with Paste Special to Jpeg or gif Format. Save a lot of
space on your USB memory sticks! Up to 20x!!
Gasoline
Increase your MPG
[MPG = miles per gallon]
Car Acceleration
optimum
smaller MPG
MPG
Pressure on pedal
Don’t press gas pedal too much.
Learn to drive at optimum acceleration.
Increase your MPG
1. Use minimum acceleration
2. Drive less, combine trips, use mass transport
3. Don’t leave motor running > 1min
4. Remove excess equipment
5. Park in the shade
6. Keep your car tune-up & tires inflated
7. Consider a Hybrid vehicle
8. Turn off A/C when going uphill & when not needed
9. Avoid holes
10. Use Overdrive
*http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_vehicles/fuel_economy/practical-driving-tips.html
*Every gallon saves 20 pounds of CO2 from being emitted!
Optimum speed?
• Respect maximum speed, & save $
Optimum speed
55
Hybrid cars
Real Cost of Car
$60,000
Costo Total
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
Prius
$10,000
SmallCar
$0
0
2
4
6
Años
8
10
12
Alternative Transportation
Electricity
DMSP
Electric appliances use electricity
even when turned off.
They’re called Phantom Loads!
Some examples
5%-23% of electric bill
Represents $3B in the U.S.
Inside of an adapter
Save $: unplug appliances
when not using them.
Use a power strip to connect
several appliances then you
can turn them off all at the
same time.
• Turn off printer &
speakers when not in
use.
• Unplugged them
every night.
• Turn off breakers
from washing
machines and others
Computers
• Turn off PC if you will
not use it in 1hr or
more.
• ¡Don’t let the adaptor
plugged in!!!
Cell phone chargers
• Don’t leave the
charger
connected!
• Uses 70-95% of
the energy as if
charging.
Myth vs. Reality: turning on and
off an appliance with reduce its
life.
FALSE! Appliances are
designed different today!
Turn-off and SAVE!
What should I buy?
• a laptop uses 1/3 of the electricity of a desktop!
versus
And it doesn’t need a UPS.
What should I buy?
Plasma
LCD
LCD uses 1/3 less energy than a
Plasma TV!
Compact fluorescent Lights
(CFL)
Save $150 per lightbulb
during its life
• Use 1/4 electricity.
• Last 10 times more.
www.energystar.gov/ia/business/bulk_purchasing/bpsavings_calc/Calc_CFLs.xls
LED lights
• Use even less
electricity than CFL
• Last longer
• Have NO mercury
• Cost more 
A/C
If you use air conditioner, set the
temperature 1-2 degrees less cold, this
will save $ and many emissions.
A window fan
brings in fresh air from
outside.
Save $25 /month
for each A/C unit!
What should I
buy?
It’s worth buy
appliances that are
energy efficient.
¡Compare!
Saves
$10-60/ mo. each!!
What should I buy?
A solar water heater
• Saves $40-$100/mo.
• Lasts 30+ years!
Israel banned…
What should I buy?
• GAS appliances save
$25-$50/month!
• Using a clothlines, saves
even more.
Electric Bill: AEE…(house of 4)
 Average Consumption:
$260
1390 kWh
Electric Bill: :
After eliminationg Electric
phamtons & changing some CFL
$195
(1160 kWh)
Electric Bill:
After using 3 fans instead of 3 A/C
$113
(690 kWh)
Electric Bill:
Factura
de AEE:
After
installing
a solar
water heater
$74
(400 kWh)
Many
solutions
Native Americans knew about
Sustainability
We do not inhering the
Earth from our Fathers
…
We borrow it from our
children
Web References…
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
www.nasa.gov
www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming
www.povertymap.net
www.unmillenniumproject.org
www.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk
www.noaa.gov
www.ucsusa.org
www.borgenproject.org
www.unicef.org
www.energyhog.org FUN!! (PC games)
cacique.uprm.edu/aceer