The Climate Solutions
Consensus Webinar
Outline June 22 (1 p.m. EDT):
1.Intro to NCSE – DB
2.The Climate Solutions Consensus book-LW
3.Tour of Chapter/Topics and Action Items –
4.CH 4 – Ocean – LW
5.Action 25 – Fertilization – DB
6.CH 6 – Cheapest Carbon – DB
7.Action 6 – Efficiency and Conservation – LW
8.CH 12 – Glocal Action – LW
9.Action 31 – Communication for decisionmakers – LW
10.Intro to CAMEL – DB
11.Q&A Discussion - all
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Who?
David Blockstein, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, National Council for Science & the
Environment, www.ncseonline.org
Executive Secretary, Council of Environmental Deans &
Directors, www.ncseonline.org/cedd
Leo Wiegman
Mayor of Croton-on-Hudson NY
Founder of an environmental communications firm
Leo and David co-wrote
The Climate Solutions Consensus (c) 2010, Island Press
(304 pages in paperback with website, $30 list price before your discount!)
Write me for discount code: Leo [at] etothefourth.com
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The National Council for
Science and the Environment
www.ncseonline.org
Mission: Improve scientific basis of environmental decisionmaking
Approach: Foster collaboration among diverse institutions, communities
and individuals. Connect scientists and educators with decisionmakers.
Programs:
• National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment
• Encyclopedia of Earth (EoE)
• Council of Environmental Deans and Directors (CEDD)
• Council of Energy Research and Education Leaders
• Climate Adaptation, Mitigation and e-Learning (CAMEL)
• Environmentors
• Campus to Careers (C2C)
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8th National Conference
on Science, Policy,
and the Environment, 2008
Scientists, policymakers, industry, educators,
and others develop comprehensive strategies
for protecting people and the planet against the
impacts of climate change.
1200+ participants
35 breakout sessions,
10 symposia,
24 workshops
Presidential Candidate Forum
A Blueprint for a Low Carbon
Society
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Book’s Main Messages
•
“Global warming” is a misnomer; we should be calling it
“global climatic disruption.”
•
The disruption & its impacts are now growing more rapidly
than was expected just a few years ago.
•
The world is already experiencing “dangerous anthropogenic
interference in the climate system”. The question now is
whether we can avoid catastrophic interference.
•
Our options are mitigation, adaptation, & suffering. If we do
less mitigation & adaptation, we’ll do more suffering.
•
In mitigation and adaptation, there is a lot of “low-hanging
fruit”.
•
The United States must switch from laggard to leader – and
sooner rather than later – if the world is to act in time.
•
Everyone has a part to play. We all make a difference!
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Our book’s 4 parts
The Climate Solutions Consensus distills
work of 1,200+ experts on:
•
Basic science on climate disruption (Pt I: chs 1-4),
•
Thinking about climate solutions (Pt II: chs 5-9),
•
Bringing stakeholders together (Pt III: chs 10-15), &
•
35 Immediate Climate Actions (Pt IV: 30 pages)

Action 1 Green Buildings and Building Design;

Action 35 Engaging Public Health Community
(paperback, 300 pages, Island Press www.islandpress.org $30 minus
your discount!)
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Designed as learning
tool
Opening quotes (in text with more online) for focus and
inspiration
Figures and accompanying captions convey ample content to
assist visual learners (about half the figures are available in
color online).
Connect the Dots appears at end of each chapter to help
capture the key “take aways” for the reader.
Online Resources list at end of each chapter provide more
links for student research or projects.
Climate Solution Actions close each chapter and point to
Part IV.
Works Cited list includes a URL for EVERY source reference.
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Encyclopedia of Earth
http://eoearth.org
Search for “Climate Solutions Consensus”
Online for every chapter:
•Bonus chapter section
•Online figures
•Bibliography with URLs
•Relevant website lists
•Climate action items
•Instructor resources
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–chapter 4–
Rising Carbon,
Rising Oceans
As seawater warms up, it expands,
increasing the volume of the global ocean.
—Gerald Meehl, et al IPCC, 2007
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www.global-greenhouse-warming.com/Tuvalu.html
A Warmer Sea is a
Rising Sea
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Source: Bindoff 2007 ar4-wg1-chapter5.pdf: www.ipcc.ch
Future Sea Rise
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http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/
Polar Express is slowing
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http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/
Global Water Cycle
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http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/
Atlantic Ocean complex
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http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05arctic/background/biodiversity/biodiversity.html
Mighty Phyto are the
Ocean’s Carbon Sink
Leinen 2007 www.climos.com/publication.php
Ocean acidification
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Action #25
Ocean iron fertilization to sequester carbon
Argument against: It’s a meager,
temporary, unverifiable
proposition involving private
individuals dumping materials into
the common waters of the world’s
oceans.
Middle ground: Careful
experiments conducted by
scientists are our best hope for
learning how much carbon can be
sequestered without harming the
ocean
ecosystem.
Source:
http://www.whoi.edu/oceanus/
2007
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(Image courtesy of NASA)
Argument for: Iron’s ability to
put carbon into the oceans isn’t
just an opportunity, it’s a
responsibility.
Ocean Fertilization for
Carbon Sequestration
Conference Breakout Recommendations
Task 1 - International regulation
Task 2 - Monitor compliance
Task 3 - Ongoing scientific evaluation
Task 4 - Study impacts on water column & open ocean food web
Task 5 - Monitoring should include genomic approaches
Task 6 - Long-term scientific impact assessment
Task 7 - Identification of parameters and metrics
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2011 NCSE Conference
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–chapter 6–
Cheapest Carbon
Doing nothing about climate change is far more expensive and
risky than taking strong pro-active and immediate measures.
–Sir Nicholas Stern, 2006
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Stabilization Wedges to Mitigate
Climate Disruption
A Behavioral wedge:
•
Deploys quickly
With low, zero or often
negative costs & minimal
quality of life impacts
•
Uses social science
knowledge
•
Can be assessed to develop
a logical policy mix
•
Source: Pacala and Socolow 2004
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Opportunities: household wedge
U.S. household &
transportation
emissions:
32-41% of total U.S.
emissions
2.1 Billion tons
8% of world total
Larger than total emissions of
any nation except China
Larger than total for U.S.
industrial sector
Source: Vandenbergh et al. 2008
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Household’s Low Hanging Fruit
7 among dozens of opportunities:
Reduce engine idling
Reduce standby power use
Faster adoption of compact fluorescents
Adjust temperate setting 2 degrees
Lower water heater temperatures
Maintain tire pressures
Replace vehicle air filters more frequently
Source: Vandenbergh et al. 2008
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Action
Plasticity
Emissions saved
Engine idling
10% of drivers comply
(million tons/year)
6-10
Standby power
33% reduction
16-22
Compact fluorescent 300 million bulbs
12-37
Thermostat settings 33% of households
18-36
Water temperatures
50% of households
28-38
Tire pressure
33% of drivers comply
14
Air filters
25% of drivers comply
24
Total
118-181
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Source: Vandenbergh et al. 2008
Potential Household Emission Savings
Potential Impact of HH Behavioral Changes
150 million tons of CO2 reduction by 2014
Equivalent to:
•
Removing 26 million automobiles from the road, or
•
75% of the new CAFE standards, or
•
40% of Pacala - Socolow global stabilization wedge
Fast, Cheap and Easy:
C at $10/ton would allow investment of $1.5 B in
these efforts
•
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Action #6 Boost Conservation &
Efficiency
Cheapest carbon is what we don’t
emit.
Step 1: Conserve:
•What
energy use can I do without?
Does every pole need 2 cobra heads?
Step 2: Efficiency:
•How
can I get same result with less
energy?
Can we switch to more efficient lamps?
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Source: 2005 http://eed.llnl.gov
US Energy Flows 2004
55% elec. lost in
generation
transmission, &
distribution
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Building Elec &
Heat = 32%
of total flow
of which half
is
Residential
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Source: Baumert 2005 http://www.wri.org
U.S. Emission Flows
Energy internet (aka smart grid)
+
Install new
advanced
meters to the
existing grid.
+
Add
monitoring
feedback via
internet for
consumers.
=
healthier
Expand
renewables to fit economy
& planet
into the new
demand response
network.
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Energy internet Report Card
+
AMI and grid technology got
$3.4 billion in DOE funding
for demonstration and
deployment in late 2009.
But 99% of this money is
going to the existing
players. Will innovation
result?
+
Google, GE, IBM, Opower,
etc. all pursuing user
technologies. But high speed
internet in US lags far behind
deployment in Europe and
SE Asia.
=
Renewable energy funding has
increased dramatically under
ARRA/DOE in 2009-2010. But
variance between states is big
barrier to nation-wide
deployment (feed-in tariffs, RPS,
REC markets, etc).
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healthier
economy
& planet
–chapter 12–
Be Glocal:
Think Global,
Act Local
All our energy problems—price instability, energy security,
and climate change have the same solutions—conservation,
efficiency, and clean, renewable energy.
–Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson, Mayor of Salt Lake City, 2008
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Action #31 Communication
Municipalities can and must:
Ask: Reach out for information
Share: Build knowledge networks
with neighbors.
Know: Turn emissions data & smart
growth concepts into Climate Action
Plans
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Ask: Tap national + state orgs
Tap local expertise
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Share: work with visible efforts
✓ We adopted a village-wide Bicycle-Pedestrian Master
Plan & hold annual Bike Week to celebrate
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Share: Re-connect people with nature
• 270 compost bins sold =
• 190,000 lbs of waste diverted/yr =
• $4,750 annual savings to village =
• 12% of village composts now
ecopromo.com
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Know: GHG/energy costs
2007 GHG emissions by sector (%)
www.crotononhudson-ny.gov
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Know: Information = power
$541
$295
40%
savings
($246)
800 old incand. lights
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bulbs $
electricity $
1600 new LED lights
CAMEL
Climate, Adaptation, and Mitigation eLearning Community
Nationwide (and beyond) community
Educators, researchers, students
Undergraduate materials—all levels and
fields
Climate change causes, consequences and
solutions
Funded by National Science Foundation
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CAMEL Pyramid
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thanks! questions?
David Blockstein
david (at) NCSEonline.org
Leo Wiegman
leo (at) etothefourth.com
Exam copies
www.islandpress.org
Book content @ Ency of Earth
www.eoearth.org/article/Climate_Solutions_Consensus
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