Action Flashcards
(34 cards)
1
Q
‘solar radiation management’
A
- Atmospheric engineering: intentionally injecting aerosols (e.g. sulphur) into stratosphere
- Massive reflectors
- Artificially enhancing surface albedo
2
Q
ocean ‘iron fertilization’
A
- Augment phytoplankton blooms
- Enhancing Co2 absorption drawdown by oceans
- Ecological madness
- Destabilizes trophic webs and PH
3
Q
Solar Refelctors
A
- Space Based
- Increasing stratospheric aerosol
- Increasing Marine clouds
- Surface albedo
4
Q
Direct CO2 removal
A
- Technologies to extract carbon and other GHGs from atmosphere and store
5
Q
Negatives of Direct CO2 Removal
A
- Small number of existing projects
- Would need much more renewable electricity + long-term questions of storage
- Pointless with fossil fuels still present
6
Q
Direct CO2 Removal
A
- Mixing CO2 with sulphuric acid – trying
to turn to a soft limestone rock
7
Q
Advocates and CO2 Removal
A
- Doesn’t diminish the need to reduce fossil fuels ASAP
- Fossil energy reductions on the scale needed not probable
- Too far into the danger zone to not attempt
8
Q
Critics and CO2 Removal
A
- Massive biophysical risks (e.g. acid rain, ocean food webs, etc.)
- Can obscure other possible routes to rapid GHG emissions reductions and attention to things like inequality, lifestyles, and consumption
9
Q
De Carbonizing Energy Systems
A
- Pivotal challenges of 21st C
- Fossil Fuels is 80% world consumption
- Must 1/2 by 2030
10
Q
Carbon Capture
A
- Least effective and most expensive
11
Q
Negatives of Ramping up Nuclear
A
- Big emissions in construction (including massive volumes of cement)
- Limits to high-grade uranium ore
- Unresolved life-cycle: radioactive waste
- Potential targets of terror and war (e.g. Ukraine)
12
Q
Japan and Germany with Nuclear
A
- Japan and Germany declining nuclear use since accidents
- Japan thinking of bring nuclear back
- Germany growing solar while declining nuclear
- Coal boom in past decade
13
Q
Renewables rising fast (also led by China)
A
- Needs to grow much faster
- Expected to grow
- Problem is reducing fossils
- Huge cost improvements for wind and solar energy and battery storage
14
Q
Most consumed Renewable
A
- Hydro Power
- Maxed out (not counting tidal)
15
Q
China and Renewable
A
- By far leading manufacturer of solar & wind technologies + increasing capacity the fastest
16
Q
Denmark Wind
A
- 44% energy 2021
- 100% by 2030
- On shore and off shore wind energy plants
17
Q
Ramping up Renewables
A
- Need to massively increase electricity generation at sites of optimal solar, wind,
geothermal and tidal power - Better building codes to save energy
- Require big political and economic commitments
18
Q
Canada and renewable
A
- Electricity generation amongst the best of the world
- Potential for more growth
- 60% of renewable is hydroelectricity
- Hydro from Quebec + BC rivers
- Potential for solar and wind
19
Q
Green City
A
- Freiburg Germany
- 100% renewable energy by 2035
- Doable with technology
20
Q
FDR administrations 1933-43
A
- Range of federally sponsored programs
- Put millions to work through vast array of public projects
21
Q
European Solar frontier
A
- Sahara Desert
- Paired with off shore wind
22
Q
Green new deal
A
- Range of policies that are needed to rapidly reduce carbon emissions while building good jobs and public services
23
Q
DE-CARBONIZING ELECTRICITY GRIDS
A
- Manufacturing and installing solar panels, wind turbines, lithium batteries, etc
- Expanding and refurbishing grids + storage capacity
- Renewable energy systems tend to be better for job
creation
24
Q
RETROFITTING BUILDING STOCK
A
- Enhance energy and water efficiency in public and private sector
- Potential to decentralize electricity supply
- Dispersed EV charging stations
25
Massie expansions of public transit
- Manufacture of rail, light rail, and electrified buses
- A lot of jobs and energy potential
26
Public service
- Health care, education, child care, elder care
- UK plans to turning health service to net zero
27
Recreational spaces
- Expansions of urban parks +temples of public luxury
- Enhancing health and reducing the need to travel as much
28
Housing
- Dense social housing: ensuring affordable and safe highest efficiency standards
29
US and Electricity
- At present, <2.5% of electricity
- Electricity generation potential from feasible building integrated PV is 60% of current total US electricity demands
- Covering all parking lots in the US with 15% PV modules could produce amount of electricity equal to current total electricity demand.
30
How do we pay for it?
- Wealth of 2153 billionaires > 4.6 Billion people
- Unequal responsibility
31
Reducing the scale of consumption
US and Canada among highest per capita energy consumption and emissions
32
Contraction
- Small & rapidly shrinking carbon budgets
- Atmospheric space: at most, ~400 B tonnes
(i.e. most needs to be made ‘unburnable’)
33
Convergence
- Central role of global equity in mitigation
‘technology will never deliver in isolation. It
is a prerequisite condition, but not enough
- Also need to challenge consumption
norms, esp. in high-income countries
34
Constellation of social movements struggling to:
- Raise attention in popular consciousness
- Put issues on political agendas – and keep them there
- Influence decision-making from individuals to governments
- No tactical movement
