Lecture 21: Climate Change Technologies

• Fossil fuel burning in the energy sector is the major contributor to atmospheric carbon dioxide
• Reducing fossil fuel use is the best way to reduce the production of atmospheric CO2
• Driving less is the single most impactful thing individuals can do to reduce fossil fuel use
• Power plants


  • Spin a magnet inside a coil of wires to generate electricity
  • Most power plants use elaborate ways to spin a wheel
• Alternative energy sources


  • Solar panels
  • Solar collectors
  • Wind energy
  • Hydroelectric energy
  • Nuclear energy
• Solar panels


  • Directly convert the sun's energy into electricity
  • Expensive and not easily accessible for most people
• Solar collectors


  • Use mirrors to reflect sun's rays to heat water and turn a turbine
  • Require a lot of land in sunny areas, potential environmental issues
• Wind energy


  • Wind blows, causing turbine to spin and generate electricity
  • Require very windy areas, seen as eyesores, cause bird strikes
• Hydroelectric energy


  • Dams create reservoirs, releasing water to spin turbines
  • Negative ecological effects, limits on available rivers to dam
• Nuclear energy


  • Splits atoms to release heat, boil water, and turn turbines
  • Nuclear waste is problematic, security issues, limited uranium supply, public opposition
• Transportation is a major use of fossil fuels, accounting for a large portion of US petroleum consumption
• Fuel economy


  How much gas a vehicle uses per mile
• Improving fuel economy


  Reduces carbon dioxide produced by vehicles
• Government regulations on minimum fuel economy standards for vehicles have been increasing over time
• Fuel economy standards have increased over the years, requiring cars sold in the U.S. to have higher fuel economy
• Increasing fuel economy of cars and trucks

  Reduces the amount of carbon dioxide produced
• Electric and plug-in hybrid cars


  • They are gaining in popularity
  • They can go a certain number of miles on battery power alone
• Electricity for electric cars still often comes from fossil fuel power plants, so the emissions reduction is not as great as it seems
• Getting electricity from alternative sources like solar or wind can further reduce emissions from electric cars
• CO2 scrubbers


  Devices that remove pollutants, including CO2, from industrial exhaust
• CO2 scrubbers are not practical for individual vehicles, only for large industrial sources
• Carbon sequestration


  The long-term storage and removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere
• Geoengineering schemes for carbon sequestration are difficult, expensive, and may not be effective
• Proposed carbon sequestration methods

  • Planting trees
  • Pumping liquid CO2 into the deep sea
  • Iron fertilization of oceans
  • Giant reflectors in orbit
• Planting trees is one of the more viable carbon sequestration methods, but still requires significant effort and resources
• Energy conservation in buildings

  • Good insulation
  • Thoughtful building orientation to utilize natural light and heating
  • Energy efficient fixtures and appliances
• No regrets strategies


  Climate mitigation efforts that offer benefits beyond just reducing climate change, such as cost savings or other co-benefits
• Government policies like energy efficiency rebates are examples of no regrets strategies
• Calculating one's carbon footprint can help identify areas for improvement in reducing emissions