A blog for sustainable energy students
Another great example from our government of what we shouldn’t be doing if we actually want to reduce emissions. The basic idea is to convert our fossil fuel reserves of coal and gas into transport fuels like petroleum. Robin Batterham hinted that this was inevitable if oil prices stay high for sustained periods.
‘Coal to gas’ energy plan draws scepticism - ABC News Australian Broadcasting Corporation
An interesting analysis of some of the assumptions and mathematics behind a target of 450 ppm. Joseph Romm has written extensively on energy related matters including hydrogen powered cars, etc.
John mentioned this report the other night in class. Looks at research into emergency measures that could be taken to slow global warming if things get out of control. Some of the measures include injecting particles into the atmosphere to create a global ‘dimming’ effect.
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2008/2204410.htm
Just in case there was any doubt it is pretty clear that climate change is now a mainstream political issue. In todays debate between Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Garret, both environmental spokesmen stated that climate change is the biggest threat to our environment and the economy.
The entire debate can be viewed on the ABC website:
Climate change dominates environment debate - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
CSIRO and the Bureau of Meteorology have recently released a report detailing predicted changes to Australia’s environment due to climate change. I haven’t had a chance to read the full report yet but the media release contains some interesting forecasts:
“By 2030 we expect temperatures will rise by about 1ºC over Australia compared with the climate of recent decades,” says one of the report’s authors, CSIRO’s Dr Penny Whetton. “The probability of warming exceeding 1°C is 10-20 per cent for coastal areas and more than 50 per cent for inland regions.”
New projections for Australia’s changing climate Media Release
Pretty strong opinion from the man. He calls ‘Australian strategy’ - rubbish !!! interesting…well, infact the truth!!!
I have just finished reading Heat by George Monbiot. In this book he has set out to write a layman’s guide to preventing catastrophic global warming. Overall he has done a pretty good job. It is an easy read despite being jam packed full of information. The book is very well referenced with most claims easily linked to one or more sources. This is important when dealing with subject matter that is still plagued with conflicting claims.
Monbiot presents a number of interesting strategies for reducing our greenhouse emissions. Underpinning it all is the notion that every person on the planet is entitled to a ration of CO2 that they are allowed to produce. Many of his strategies depend on fairly dramatic social change rather than any groundbreaking technology. While this is a sound approach it certainly highlights that the biggest challenges will be socio-economic and political.
There is a more thorough review over at energybulletin but I would certainly recommend the book to anyone taking our course or generally interested in sustainable energy.
I would be interested to hear other people’s views on the strategies that Monbiot puts forward.
Hi guys,
I’ve been reading about how in the last two weeks ice cover in the Arctic has fallen to record lows. The ice sheet is in terminal collapse, melting three times faster than the most pessimistic predictions from just five years ago. It is now felt that the Arctic will be ice-free in summer months from 2020, even sooner. On top of the devastation this will bring to other species, the effect of the ice loss will very significantly boost the warming of the Greenland ice sheet, leading to multiple metre sea level rises by the end of the century.
Below is a link to just one of hundreds of international articles reporting the findings, a story that somehow missed Australia. I feel that now more than ever a rapid transition to zero emissions is a moral imperative. As sustainable energy students I think we should prioritise rapid implementation of zero emission projects above all other ideals. I feel our current approach to engineering is too narrow and specialised, and in a way is irresponsible. We need to bring urgency to the issues we are discussing, rather than focusing on scholarly ideals such as contributing to knowledge. We are in a unique position to affect meaningful change.
Like to know your thoughts.
ABC Energy News
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