Technology and the Environment

Humanities 110 PowerPoint #7

Why is the environment important when discussing technology and society?

Environment provides resources and raw materials for manufacturing and powering tools, processes, machines etc. Our environment provides energy needed to power modern life.

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In other words. . .
Technology would not be possible without the resources provided by the our environment. But technology changes the environment by mining, gathering, processing, and using resources (including energy).

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There are increasing pressures on the environment today:

Decrease in natural resources, especially fossil fuels like petroleum Increased demand for natural resources as the world becomes smaller, flatter and more interconnected through the process of globalization Increase in population will place increased demands on natural resources to meet even our basic needs (How will we feed all 9 billion of us that may be on the planet by 2050?)

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Central question
Will our technology evolve fast enough to offset the environmental problems caused by an increase in population, increase in demand for resources to fuel our technology?

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What is the Environment? A good simple definition is the world around us. Here are some other important words:

Ecosystem:
all of the natural world

Ecology:
the study of the mutual relationship between organisms and this natural world, including the effects of man and technology on the environment.

Climate:
patterns of weather over time

Weather:
short term climate conditions
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High risk issues related to technologys effects on the environment Habitat destruction Climate Change
Hotter temperatures Species extinction Loss of biological diversity (biodiversity)

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Habitat destruction
Trends:
Deforestation 1/3 of the rain forests have disappeared
Estimates are that by 2020 only 5% of the rain forests will remain untouched (source: IUCN)

Desertification Loss of wetlands

have been destroyed in the US since Colonial Times Loss of coastal wetland ecosystems are very vulnerable to rising sea levels associated with climate change

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Why we should care about habitat destruction

Of the 3,000 species of plants that fight cancer, 70% are in the rain forest Huge effects on the weather
Storms probably will increase in intensity and number

Wetlands are important as fisheries and as natural water purifiers

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Stop and think:

What occurred in the Louisiana wetlands the summer of 2010? The Gulf Coastline of Louisiana is home to 40% of the remaining wetlands in the USA. How is this related to the choices we make about energy and technology? An irony to consider: our technology has enabled us to drill for oil one mile under the ocean!

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Local effects in ENC likely

Loss of land due to rising sea levels Coastal water supplies threatened Flooding more common and more severe

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Rising sea levels in ENC

This map provides a look at how far rising sea levels could go in North Carolina.
http://epa.gov/climatechange/ef fects/coastal/slrmaps_sa.html

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How habitats are destroyed

Agricultural Mining Overfishing Building Run-offs Climate change
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What is Climate Change?

Here is how the EPA defines climate change and how it is different from global warming: The term climate change is often used interchangeably with the term global warming, but according to the National Academy of Sciences, "the phrase 'climate change' is growing in preferred use to 'global warming' because it helps convey that there are [other] changes in addition to rising temperatures. Climate change refers to any significant change in measures of climate (such as temperature, precipitation, or wind) lasting for an extended period (decades or longer).
Climate Change Basic Information. http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/basici nfo.html 20 EPA. 20 May 2010. Web. 8 June 2010.
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The warming of the earth is no longer denied by scientists, even government officials.
Quotation from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Human activity has been increasing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (mostly carbon dioxide from combustion of coal, oil, and gas; plus a few other trace gases). There is no scientific debate on this point. Pre-industrial levels of carbon dioxide (prior to the start of the Industrial Revolution) were about 280 parts per million by volume (ppmv), and current levels are greater than 380 ppmv and increasing at a rate of 1.9 ppm yr-1 since 2000. The global concentration of CO2 in our atmosphere today far exceeds the natural range over the last 650,000 years of 180 to 300 ppmv. According to the IPCC Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES), by the end of the 21st century, we could expect to see carbon dioxide concentrations of anywhere from 490 to 1260 ppm (75-350% above the pre-industrial concentration). http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/globalwarming.html
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Causes of Climate Change

Natural causes Human activities

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How much climate change is due to man and how much is natural?

There is increasing evidence that we live at the end of a recurring pattern of 10,000 years of warmth followed by 90,000 years of cold (ice ages). You will find more information about this in Ice Age Memory one of your assigned readings for this week.
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Natural causes
These include changes in the Earths orbit, the suns intensity, the circulation of the ocean and the atmosphere, and volcanic activity. Although the Earths climate has changed many times throughout its history, the rapid warming seen today cannot be explained by natural processes alone.
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Human activities
Contribute to climate change
Some of these activities include burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests, and developing land for farms, cities, and roads. These activities all release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Some amount of greenhouse gases is necessary for life to exist on Earththey trap heat in the atmosphere, keeping the planet warm and in a state of equilibrium. But this natural greenhouse effect is being strengthened as human activities (such as the combustion of fossil fuels) add more of these gases to the atmosphere, resulting in a shift in the Earths equilibrium.
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What is the greenhouse effect?

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar ming/what.html
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The term greenhouse effect describes how water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other "greenhouse" greenhouse gases absorb some of the energy that is emitted from the Earth's surface, preventing this energy from being lost to space. As a gases in the atmosphere alter the return of energy to space, and in turn, change the temperature at the Earth's surface. These result, the lower atmosphere warms and sends some of this energy back to the Earth's surface. When the energy is "recycled" in this way, the Earth's surface warms. Life on Earth would be very different without the greenhouse effect. The greenhouse effect keeps the long term annual average temperature of the Earth's surface approximately 32C (or about 58F) higher than it would be otherwise.

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar ming/what.html
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How is the Greenhouse Effect related to Global Warming?

Over the past century, atmospheric carbon dioxide (as measured from ice cores) has increased due to human activities from 300 to 380 parts per million (ppm), and the average Earth temperature has increased approximately 0.7C (or about 1.3F).

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar ming/what.html
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Increase of C02 since 1000 AD

http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/globalwar ming/what.html

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Quote from Ice Age Memory

For at least half a million years, and probably a lot longer, warm periods and ice ages have alternated according to a fairly regular, if punishing, pattern: ten thousand years of warmth followed by ninety thousand years of cold. The current warm period, the Holocene, is now ten thousand years old, and all things being equalwhich is to say had we not interfered with the pattern by burning fossil fuels we should now be heading toward another ice age (Kolbert, 144).

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So is climate change no big deal?

No, because the side effects are completely unknown and could include these results:
Could trigger cooler temperatures by shutting down the Gulf Stream Could result in wild temperature swings from very hot to very cold within decades Could actually hasten the next Ice Age
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2012 hottest year ever in USA!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/01/130109-warmest-year-record-2012global-warming-science-environment-united-states/
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Worldwide 2012 was in top ten hottest years ever

2012 global temperatures 10th highest on record 2012 was also warmest "La Nia year" on record The globally-averaged temperature for 2012 marked the 10 th warmest year since record keeping began in 1880. It also marked the 36 th consecutive year with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last below-average annual temperature was 1976. Including 2012, all 12 years to date in the 21 st century (20012012) rank among the 14 warmest in the 133-year period of record. Only one year during the 20 st century1998was warmer than 2012. Most areas of the world experienced higher-than-average annual temperatures, including most of North and South America, most of Europe and Africa, and western, southern, and far northeastern Asia. Meanwhile, most of Alaska, far western Canada, central Asia, parts of the eastern and equatorial Pacific, southern Atlantic, and parts of the Southern Ocean were notably cooler than average. Also , the Arctic experienced a record-breaking ice melt season while the Antarctic ice extent was above average

Source: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/
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How did 2011 measure up?

2011 tied with 1997 as the 11th hottest year on record.
This year tied 1997 as the 11th warmest year since records began in 1880. The annual global combined land and ocean surface temperature was 0.51C (0.92F) above the 20th century average of 13.9C (57.0F). This marks the 35th consecutive year, since 1976, that the yearly global temperature was above average. The warmest years on record were 2010 and 2005, which were 0.64C (1.15F) above average. From http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/ Accessed January 26, 2012.
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2011 was unusually wet!

The 2011 globally-averaged precipitation over land was the second wettest year on record, behind 2010. Precipitation varied greatly across the globe. La Nia contributed to severe drought in the Horn of Africa and to Australias third wettest year in its 112-year period of record.

From State of the Climate Global Analysis Annual 2011. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. National Climatic Data Center. 19-Jan-2012 . http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/global/. 26 January 2012.

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2010 compared to averages for 1971-2000

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Link to National Geographic video on Global Warming

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJ Cugs&feature=related

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So wheres the global warming? Why isnt it always colder?

Shot from noaa.gov of the tremendous snow storm which stretched 2,100 miles across the USA February 1, 2011.

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Warming can lead to colder winters

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/frigid-winters-and-thepolar-vortex/?ref=earth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjmHMSv2Amk HUM 110 PP 7

How warmer weather can lead to colder winters

Since satellites began tracking it in 1979, the ice on the Arctic Oceans surface in the bellwether month of September has declined by more than 30 percent. It is the most striking change in the terrain of the planet in recent decades, and a major question is whether it is starting to have an effect on broad weather patterns. Ice reflects sunlight, and scientists say the loss of ice is causing the Arctic Ocean to absorb more heat in the summer. A handful of scientists point to that extra heat as a possible culprit in the recent harsh winters in Europe and the United States.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/scienc e/earth/25cold.html
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Fence weakened
Their theories involve a fast-moving river of air called the jet stream that circles the Northern Hemisphere. Many winters, a strong pressure difference between the polar region and the middle latitudes channels the jet stream into a tight circle, or vortex, around the North Pole, effectively containing the frigid air at the top of the world. Its like a fence . . . When that pressure difference diminishes, however, the jet stream weakens and meanders southward, bring warm air into the Arctic and cold air into the mid latitudes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/science/earth/25cold.html
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Change in the jet stream

The uncertainty about what is causing the strange winters highlights a core difficulty of climate science. While mainstream researchers are sure that greenhouse gases released by humans are warming the Earth, they acknowledge being on shakier ground in trying to predict the regional effects of that change. It is entirely possible, they say, that some regions will cool temporarily, because of disruption of the atmospheric and oceanic circulation, even as the Earth warms over all.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/scienc e/earth/25cold.html

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Whats the bottom line?

WHAT WE DO KNOW: -The climate is changing worldwide

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But . ..
NOBODY really knows: how much of climate change is due to man, how much is due to natural causes, how we can effectively slow the change if we decide to, or what the short or long terms effects will be

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Findings from the IPCC

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change International group of scientists which collects and interprets climate data Publishes assessment reports which analyze causes and effects of climate change.
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Major findings from latest IPCC assessment report

Last Assessment Report (TAR) released in 2007 http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessmentreport/ar4/wg2/ar4-wg2-spm.pdf Pay particular attention to page 18, examples of major impacts by sector

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Loss of biodiversity, another effect of climate change

Is our age the beginning of the sixth great wave of mass extinction?
FIVE MASS EXTINCTIONS Cretaceous (About 65 million years ago) Triassic (About 208 million years ago) Permian (About 245 million years ago) Devonian (About 360 million years ago) Ordovician (About 438 million years ago)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/3667300.stm HUM 110 PP 7

Examples of why biodiversity is important:

Keeps us alive Diverse plant life purifies water and air Diverse plants needed to fix nitrogen, which is important for plants to grow Biodiversity helps to recycle nutrients and waste Diverse insects needed to pollinate our crops
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How big is the problem?

Only about 1.75 million of the estimated 13-14 million species on earth have been identified and described.
Many species are being destroyed before even being catalogued.

Source The Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/red_list/?1695
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How many species are at risk?

The IUCN Red List is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Overall, the IUCN Red List now includes over 45,000 animal species, of which 10,158 are threatened with extinction. The number of endangered mammals is 1,134.

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Pandas and Polar Bears Gone?

At least 76 mammals have become extinct since 1500. Up to 36% of all mammals may be at risk.
Think: Why should we be particularly concerned about the extinction of mammals?

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Medium risk issues related to technology and the environment

Herbicides and pesticides Surface water pollution
http://www.earth911.org/waterquality/default.asp?cluster=8

Airborne toxic substances

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Low risk (??)issues related to technology and the environment

The next three slides are very telling in that they show how quickly low risk issues can become very high risk concerns. When I first put together this PowerPoint these three issues were all considered Low Risk problems. I leave these in to illustrate how complacent we can be about potentially very serious problems.
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Low Risk (Not Really) # 1: Oil Spills

Do I really need to comment on this? This was a low risk issue when I revised this PowerPoint in September, 2009! DUH! Just a little over two years ago in the summer of 2010 we were in the midst of the Gulf Oil Spill.

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BP Gulf Oil Spill, 2010

This is a remarkable photo of the Deep Horizon, the oil rig which exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico April 2010, 2010, killing eleven workers and rupturing a pipeline on the bottom of the gulf. Since then oil has been spewing out at the rate of probably about 15,000 barrels per day. Source: New York Times.

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Low Risk (Not Really) #2: Radioactive wastes from nuclear plants
Certainly another DUH! if you watched the Japanese earthquake/tsunami/nuclear power plant disaster unfold last spring! Guess which country has the highest number of nuclear plants? Built on earthquake faults?
Answer: The USA!

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Low risk (not really) #3 Groundwater pollution

The USA is blessed with one of the most abundant supplies of natural gas in the world. One of the recent technologies developed to remove that gas involves drilling miles below the earth, forcing chemicals down to the natural gas fields, and then pumping it to the surface. The process is called hydraulic fracturing or fracking for short. There is increasing evidence that this technique is leading to widespread pollution of groundwater. In fact in some areas this technique has left so much benzene (yes, the stuff in your cigarette lighter) in the water, that tap water HUM 110 PP 7 BURNS.

Dont believe it? Check this out these sources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=timfvNgr_Q4 Or if you prefer, a more traditional discussion is at http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/05/13/13greenwirebaffled-about-fracking-youre-not-alone44383.html?pagewanted=all
Note: This article discusses the assertion made by energy companies that the problem is not with the process, but with how the wells are constructed.
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For more information:

EPA Climate Change Website http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/index.ht ml http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/indicator s.html

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An interesting read via free e-book

If youre interested in this topic, here is the link to a free e-book about an ambitious plan to save the world. I found it interesting because Brown proposes that in the end, technology is our only hope for feeding all 9 billion of us by 2050!

Some very interesting insights even if you dont buy into the whole plan.
http://www.earthpolicy.org/index.php?/books/pb4 HUM 110 PP 7