Climate Change Andrew Mark from Earth Matters. What we will cover Introduction What Climate Change...
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Transcript of Climate Change Andrew Mark from Earth Matters. What we will cover Introduction What Climate Change...
What we will cover
• Introduction
• What Climate Change is
• Food and Climate Change
• www.co2zilla.ca
Climate Change cont.
• Radiation from the Sun
• We are experiencing a net increase in Radiation retention
• “Global Warming”
Greenhouse Gases
• GHGs are atmospheric compounds that keep solar radiation in by re-reflection
• CO2 and Methane
• Fossil fuels
• Waste matter and decomposition
GHGs cont.
• Fossil Fuels, CO2
• Cars, Trains, Planes, Ships, Machines
• Power Stations
• Fertilizers
• Plastics
• 100 years in atmosphere
THINK PIECE: OUR WAY OF LIFE
• IS DESTROYING THE PLANET• 20% of world, us the “developed” world consumes
80% of the world’s resources.• If the whole world were to live the way we do here,
we would need 4 more planets.• What will happen to CO2 levels when (I am
generalizing here) China, India, Africa, South America, the other 80% of the world decides they also want cars, refrigerators, disposable diapers…
• Will we stop them by force? Or just trick them, bureaucracy them out of resources…
Climate Change part 2
• It is happening, evidence
• Greenhouse Gas Measurements of CO2 and Methane in Atmosphere
• Vostoc Ice Cores
• Measurable temperature changes
• Climate Change Modeling Computers
Climate Change p2 cont.
• It is not happening
• Can we link human CO2 and Methane emissions to increase?
• This is natural 20,000 year cycle?
• Temperatures
• Computers
• If it does happen it will be good
Climate Change p2 cont.
• It is happening at an unprecedented rate
• CO2 and Methane have increased at an unprecedented rate
• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change believes it is happening
Climate Change p2 cont
• Sea Levels
• Shutting off the Thermohaline Circulation Pattern
• Extreme Weather
• Animal Migration Patterns and Biodiversity loss
Kyoto Accord
• We will reduce our GHG emissions to the levels of 1990.
• This is 10% of the reduction that will be needed to actually prevent climate change from happening
• Has been thwarted• USA and Russsia• Estimates that in 10 years we could have
reached unpreventable stages…
One Tonne Challenge
• Industry makes up 75% of Canada’s GHG emissions
• Individuals on average contribute 5 tonnes of GHG a year
• Government wants you and everyone to reduce their personal emissions by one tonne
Main sources of Personal GHG emissions
• All Travel• Planes are #1• Your Refrigerator• Your home heating• Your light bulbs• Your appliances• Your FOOD!
What we covered
• Introduction• What Climate Change is• What Greenhouse Gases are• How Fossil Fuels play their role• Our way of life• The argument• What we are doing• www.co2zilla.ca
Food: A Brief History
• Food used to be produced locally, and eaten locally
• Pre-refrigeration • Trains changed everything, and made it
possible and profitable to produce food in one location and sell it in another far away.
• The birth of our current food system• 20 times more energy needed to produce the
same amount of food than in 1910
Food and Transport
• Fossil fuel burning
transport• Great distances
of travel, planes
for New Zealand
lamb, ships for
Australian Apples,
Trains and Trucks
Where does this food go? Where did it come from?
• Toilet? And where does that go?• Garbage? And where does that go?• Compost?• Digestion and Metabolism• Displaced nutrient cycling
Economy
• When food is traded, it is good right?
• Food transport is good for famine relief?
• What if some countries cannot provide enough food for themselves without importing
• But does this make it OK for everyone?
Packaging
• Plastic is made of
Petroleum products• Petroleum is a…• Packaging takes
Energy to produce• Buying Naked• Buying Bulk• Plastic Bags
Why organic food?
• Fertilizers
• Nitrogen production through Haber Reaction
• Origin WWI
• Organic Needs vs. Industrial Needs
• 30-70% more associated ghg emissions
Organic Problems
• Price and Class issues
• Reality of production needs, organic will not feed the world
• Why is it so expensive?
• Government spending and subsidies
The food chain
• Trophic levels, Herbivores, Carnivores, Detrivores…
• Primary, secondary, tertiary
• Only 10% moves from one to the next
• Efficiency
Some Stats
• 77% of our food grain goes to animals in Canada
• If one was to weigh humans and farm animals in Canada, animals would weigh 4.3 times as much
• A meat diet requires 7 times the amount of land, fertilizer and thus, farm associated GHG production
Processed Food
• Orange juice, 10L orange to 2L diesel
• Peanut Butter
• Apple Sause
• Whip Cream
• Cheese
• Mayo