stonehill college global warming: learn what it is. learn what you can do. cheryl schnitzer
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Stonehill College
Global Warming:
Learn what it is.
Learn what you can do.
Cheryl Schnitzer
Associate Professor
Department of Chemistry
Climate Change
Average Temperatures of Planets
Sun EarthVenusMercury Mars
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/venus.htm
850F 45F –46F
Venus has a stronger
natural greenhouse effect
than Earth
285F
UV, VIS, and IR Light Come In, Only IR Goes Out
Natural GHE: one blanket
Enhanced GHE: pile on more blankets, accumulate GHGs
Define
Global warming!
The Greenhouse Effect
Sun shines30% reflect back into space
70% absorbed
Earth’s surface warmed
Heat released by Earth
GHGs trap heat in atmosphere
Which gases are good “blankets” to trap IR light?
Not All Greenhouse Gases Are Created Equal
Sources of Carbon Dioxide
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/co2_human.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/08/070809-coal-arctic.html
Combustion Reaction:Hydrocarbon + O2(g) CO2 + H2O + Energy
http://www.fotosearch.com/DGT072/cb025748/
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
http://www.climatecrisis.org/
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
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
Mileage:
18 mpg (city), 25 mpg (hway)
Distance:
12,000 miles per year
Fuel use:
558 gallons per year
Emissions:
10,917 lbs CO2 per year
2007 Toyota Prius
Mileage:
60 mpg (city), 51 mpg (hway)
Distance:
12,000 miles per year
Fuel use:
216 gallons per year
Emissions:
4,226 lbs CO2 per year
http://www.terrapass.com/
Renewable Energy: Does Not Run Out or PolluteSources of U.S. electric power 1997
WASTEWASTE MANAGEMENTMANAGEMENT
RENEWABLERENEWABLE ENERGYENERGY
OCEANSOCEANS
CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTION
AIRAIR QUALITYQUALITY
BIODIVERSITYBIODIVERSITY
POPULATIONPOPULATION
TRANSPORTATIONTRANSPORTATION
FOODFOOD
WATERWATER
CLIMATECLIMATE CHANGECHANGE
SUSTAINABILITYSUSTAINABILITY
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
“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)
“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
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