Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Question #4: Should we or can we reverse global warming ? How ?

Yes we should and yes we can.

How to Reverse Global Warming

Project Drawdown

In 2001, American environmentalist, entrepreneur, and author Paul Hawken, was motivated by curiosity to ask the question: Do we know what we need to do in order to arrest and reverse global warming? Thus began a massive research venture, which led to the development of an online resource database and book, known as Project Drawdown.

Drawdown is described as the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. In the intervening 15 years since the study began, hundreds of researchers and experts collaborated with Project Drawdown and calculated what steps our civilization must take to arrest and ultimately reverse global warming.

Project Drawdown comprises a broad coalition of researchers, scientists, graduate students, PhDs, post-docs, policy makers, business leaders and activists. The unifying goal is to assemble and present the best available information on global warming solutions in order to describe their beneficial financial, social and environmental impact over the next thirty years.

“The objective of the solutions list,” writes Drawdown’s author, “is to be inclusive, presenting an extensive array of impactful measures already in existence. The list is comprised primarily of ‘no regrets’ solutions—actions that make sense to take regardless of their climate impact since they have intrinsic benefits to communities and economies.”

Arresting and reversing global warming may seem like an impossible task. Our society appears paralyzed in the face of this rapid change and, to date, courageous leadership has been in short supply. Project Drawdown is the roadmap our civilization has been wandering in circles without. The project uncovered the most meaningful solutions, and has laid out clear directions plus a solid framework for the way ahead.

“To date,” writes the book's author, “the full range and impact of climate solutions have not been explained in a way that bridges the divide between urgency and agency. Thus the aspirations of people who want to enact meaningful solutions remain largely untapped. Dr. Leon Clark, one of the lead authors of the IPCC 5th Assessment, wrote, "We have the technologies, but we really have no sense of what it would take to deploy them at scale. Together, let’s figure it out.”

At no time since human beings have been on Earth have atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide been higher than 280 parts per million. Due to our civilizations reliance on fossil fuels, this ratio shot up to over 300 parts per million in the 1960s. The concentrations are now over 400 parts per million, increasing the greenhouse effect beyond anything our species has ever experienced.

“Rather than focusing on a single solution or sector of solutions,” writes a Drawdown author, “project Drawdown has done the math on what humanity is capable of achieving with the broad range of tools already in use around the globe.”

Project Drawdown is for policy makers in every tier of government. This book and online resource is for anyone who feels paralyzed in the face of climate change and wants to do something about it. Climate change will be the defining issue of this century. These strategies are not a life raft or another blanket to hide under. If we are going to get serious about addressing climate change, Project Drawdown is the best instruction manual we’ve seen.

“We’re under attack from climate change,” writes author Bill McKibben , “and our only hope is to mobilize like we did in WWII.” Project Drawdown is our mobilization manual and the most comprehensive plan, to date, for how to win.

To learn about or to get involved with Project Drawdown visit their website .

You can order Drawdown the book here.

Watch this fantastic eleven and a half minute film about Project Drawdown. It is an incredible primer to the Herculean effort that went into Project Drawdown and figuring out how we can arrest and reverse global warming. Reversing global warming is possible.

Sources

Drawdown, P. (n.d.). How to Reverse Global Warming. Retrieved from Alaskans Know Climate Change: https://www.alaskansknowclimatechange.com/featured/how-to-reverse-global-warming

Top 10 Solutions to Reverse Climate Change . (n.d.). Retrieved from Green America: https://www.greenamerica.org/climate-change-100-reasons-hope/top-10-solutions-reverse-climate-change

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/05/climate-change-global-warming-drawdown-hawken/
https://www.quora.com/Can-we-reverse-global-warming

Question #5: What is Alternative energy and why is it very important in how to prevent global warming ?

Naturally, there is some debate as to what “alternative energy” means and what it can be applied to. On the one hand, the term can refer to forms of energy that do not increase humanity’s carbon footprint. In this respect, it can include things as nuclear facilities, hydroelectric power, and even things like natural gas and “clean coal”.

Residential solar panels in Germany. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Sideka Solartechnik. — *Residential solar panels in Germany. Credit: Wikimedia Commons/ Sideka Solartechnik*

On the other hand, the term is also used to refer to what are currently considered to be non-traditional methods of energy – such as solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and other recent additions. This sort of classification rules out methods like hydroelectric, which have been around for over a century and are therefore quite common to certain regions of the world.

Another factor is that alternative energy sources are considered to be “clean”, meaning that they don’t produce harmful pollutants. As already noted, this can refer to carbon dioxide but also other emissions like carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and others. Within these parameters, nuclear energy is not considered an alternative energy source because it produces radioactive waste that is highly toxic and must be stored.

In all cases, however, the term is used to refer to forms of energy that will come to replace fossil fuels and coal as the predominant form of energy production in the coming decades.

Types of Alternative Energy:

Strictly speaking, there are many types of alternative energy. Once again, definitions become a bit of a sticking point, and the term has been used in the past to refer to any method that was considered non-mainstream at the time. But applying the term broadly to mean alternatives to coal and fossil fuels, it can include any or all of the following:

Hydroelectricity: This refers to energy generated by hydroelectric dams, where falling water (i.e. rivers or canals) are channeled through an apparatus to spin turbines and generate electricity.

*A nuclear power plant, releasing hot steam as a byproduct of its slow fission process. Credit: Wikipedia Commons/Emmelie Callewaert*

Nuclear Power: Energy that is produced through slow-fission reactions. Rods of uranium or other radioactive elements heat water to generate steam, which in turn spins turbines to generate electricity.

Solar Power: Energy harnessed directly from the Sun, where photovoltaic cells (usually composed of silicon substrate, and arranged in large arrays) convert the Sun’s rays directly into electrical energy. In some cases, the heat produced by sunshine is harnessed to produce electricity as well, which is known as solar-thermal power.

Wind Power: Energy generated by air flow, where large wind-turbines are spun by wind to generate electricity.

Geothermal Power: Energy generated by heat and steam produced by geological activity in the Earth’s crust. In most cases, this consists of pipes being placed in the ground above geologically active zones to channel steam through turbines, thus generating electricity.

Tidal Power: Energy generated by tidal harnesses located around shorelines. Here, the daily changes in tides causes water to flow back and forth through turbines, generating electricity that is then transferred to power stations along the shore.

Biomass: This refers to fuels that are derived from plants and biological sources – i.e. ethanol, glucose, algae, fungi, bacteria – that could replace gasoline as a fuel source.

Hydrogen: Energy derived from processes involving hydrogen gas. This can include catalytic converters, where water molecules are broken apart and reunited by electrolysis; hydrogen fuel cells, where the gas is used to power internal combustion engines or heated and used to spin turbines; or nuclear fusion, where atoms of hydrogen fuse under controlled conditions to release incredible amounts of energy.

*The Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) reactor at the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (UK). Credit: CCFE*

Alternative and Renewable Energy:

In many cases, alternative sources of energy are also renewable. However, the terms are not entirely interchangeable, owing to the fact that many forms of alternative energy rely on a finite resource. For instance, nuclear power relies on uranium or other heavy elements that must be mined.

Meanwhile, wind, solar, tidal, geothermal and hydroelectric power all rely on sources that are entirely renewable. The Sun’s rays are the most abundant energy source of all and, while limited by weather and diurnal patters, are perennial – and therefore inexhaustible from an industry standpoint. Wind is also a constant, thanks to the Earth’s rotation and pressure changes in our atmosphere.

Laytor, K. (n.d.). Alternative Energy. Retrieved from Student Energy: https://www.studentenergy.org/topics/alternative-energy

What is Alternative Energy? (n.d.). Retrieved from Universe Today: https://www.universetoday.com/74599/what-is-alternative-energy/

Video

Link: https://youtu.be/Z9sIZahhIhI

Sources

Lam, K. (2011, 12 31). Time Is Nothing - Around The World In 343 Days (Time Lapse). Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGnrT0F-Igs

Seiswell. (2014, 7 8). The World is Beautiful (Timelapse & Hyperlapse). Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dTzy_N0Pn4

Reflection

Thanks to the research, I've found out that we can reverse global warming with the project Drawdown. The project is described as the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. In the intervening 15 years since the study began, hundreds of researchers and experts collaborated with Project Drawdown and calculated what steps our civilization must take to arrest and ultimately reverse global warming. Spreading the awareness and educating are the best way that everyone can do in order to prevent global warming. Eat the food you buy and make less of it meat: This can be a very good way to prevent global warming and also will help you eat healthier. How did the research support my original base of knowledge ? Simply just answering the underlined questions.

Two new questions for the topic:

1. How to make people use Solar energy ?

Solar energy is a beautiful, renewable energy source that doesn't produce harmful pollutants. This is one of the biggest way to stop or even to reverse global warming.

2. Which countries contribute the most to global warming ?

We need to spread the word to this country.

The main point I feel must be emphasized when discussing this topic: Reversing Global Warming
This is the way. We can heal our world from all the destructions we made.

Taking Action

1. Walk more: There are people that choose to walk or to use bicycle or even electric cars instead of normal vehicles. This action will help decreasing carbon hydroxide in the air and is helping people to prevent global warming.

2. People are reversing global warming with the help of the project Drawdown. The project includes ways that people can do to reverse global warming, like Refrigerant Management, Afforestation,...
Refrigerant Management

Solutions in progress: In October 2016, officials from more than 170 countries gathered in Kigali, Rwanda, to negotiate a deal to address the problem of HFCs. Despite challenging global politics, they reached a remarkable agreement. Through an amendment to the Montreal Protocol, the world will begin phasing HFCs out of use, starting with high-income countries in 2019 and then expanding to low-income countries—some in 2024, others in 2028. HFC substitutes are already on the market, including natural refrigerants such as propane and ammonia. Unlike the Paris Climate Agreement, the Kigali deal is mandatory, with specific targets and timetables.

3. Using renewable energy, reducing the usage of non-renewable energy. This will help preventing global warming: Solar energy is used today in a variety of ways. More and more people are understanding the advantages of solar energy as our solar technology increases and the cost of fossil fuels rises. Solar energy systems today can now used to power homes, cars, appliances, businesses, and cities.

In 2009 Barack Obama signed $1.6 billion in investment tax credits for solar and other renewable energy sources. This bill also includes the long term goal of having 25% of America’s electricity come from renewable energy sources by 2025. The government often provides financial assistance for people or businesses who are willing to use solar power as an electric source.

Solar energy is a very common form of renewable energy used today and continues to grow in popularity.

4. Spreading the awareness. People are helping others to understand what's happening to the Earth by doing blogs, writing articles, by talking, educating other people to prevent global warming. By doing this, more and more people will help to stop global warming.

5. Plant more trees, restore the forest. This is one of the way that we can use to reverse global warming. Saving forests and planting more trees will reduce carbon dioxide levels because the trees store carbon in their roots and trunk and release more oxygen into the atmosphere. You can help to prevent global warming and reduce pollution by planting trees yourself.

Sources

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McArdle, M. (2012, 2 28). Why We Should Act to Stop Global Warming—and Why We Won't. Retrieved from The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/02/why-we-should-act-to-stop-global-warming-and-why-we-wont/253752/

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