Carbon Cycle, Climate Change, and Sustainability

Review Review HW – Compare answers with your neighbor, be ready to share. – Leave homework assignment out for stamping

Sustainability: locally and globally Locally: using Puget Sound ecosystem services sustainably has many challenging constraints Globally: using fossil fuels (ecosystem service) has produced unintended consequences (climate change); – Using fuels more sustainability also has many challenging constraints!

Review HW Please update your answers to last night’s HW. – Listen to other students – Record additional info from the screen!

2. “Climate” refers to the average weather conditions in a certain place over time (e.g. decades, centuries). What evidence is there that climate is changing dramatically? 1.Glaciers melting, polar ice caps melting, rate of melting is speeding up. 2.Temperatures risen during the last 30 years; last 10+ years hottest on record. 3.Droughts longer and more extreme worldwide Last winter’s snowpack  record or near-record lows 4.Stronger hurricanes and other tropical storms. 5.Ocean surface temperatures increasing..13 degrees F per decade 6. Avg. sea level around the world rising 1 foot/century, but increasing.

Hurricanes in the northern half of the Atlantic Ocean have become stronger over the last few decades. This graph shows the Power Dissipation Index, which measures total hurricane power each year based on the number of hurricanes and their wind speed. The graph also shows how hurricane strength is related to water temperature. Source: EPA's Climate Change Indicators (2010).EPA's Climate Change Indicators (2010)

3. What is the “Greenhouse Effect” and how are fossil fuels related to it? Burning fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to atmosphere. CO 2 acts like a blanket, trapping heat in atmosphere, causing climate to change. Others gases (CH 4, N 2 O) function like CO 2 Note: the “ozone hole” has nothing to do with climate change/CO 2

4. What evidence is there for scientists to conclude that burning of fossil fuels are contributing to climate change? Increases of CO 2 in atmosphere correspond closely with increases in CO 2 emissions from burning of fossil fuels. Measure this in air bubbles trapped in ice cores from Antarctica No evidence that anything else (e.g. sunspots, earth’s orbit, volcanic activity) are causes. Note: there is no doubt in the scientific community: increased CO 2 levels (and other greenhouse gases like methane) are responsible for and will continue to cause an increase in Earth’s temperatures. – The uncertainty relates to the significance of effects…

5. What are the likely effects of climate change on people and the environment? Give at least 5 different examples. Increased acidity of oceans harms all pH-sensitive organisms (most of ocean life!) Crop damage from heat, droughts, storms = less food Rising sea levels and increased flooding of coastal towns/cities. Animals and plants that can’t adapt to warmer temps will die, e.g. polar bears, coral reefs. More wildfires in forests. Ticks and mosquitoes that carry tropical diseases like malaria can survive longer and kill more people. Note: intensity/severity difficult to predict, some are potentially avoidable.

Questions about info covered today? – Discuss with your neighbor, be ready to share. Note: Climate Change talk in Paris (right now!) – Opportunity for extra credit!

Sustainability and “ecological footprints” Paraphrase these on the back of your homework while I answer questions. Carbon footprint: Estimates how many tons (or pounds) of carbon dioxide you put into the atmosphere each year through your lifestyle. – The bigger your footprint, the more CO 2 you put into the atmosphere. For reference, consider that burning one gallon of gasoline puts about 20 pounds CO 2 of into the air. Ecological footprint: Estimates the area of land and ocean required to support your consumption of food, goods, services, housing, and energy and assimilate your wastes. – The bigger your footprint, the more land/ocean needed to support your lifestyle.

Footprint Quiz! Click on “footprint basics”, then “personal footprint”. Take the quiz. – You are a “new user” (“get started”) – 90% of electricity from renewable sources (88% hydro, 2% biomass) – HW will help with some answers. Record your ecological footprint in “# of Earths” needed if everyone lived like you. Record your carbon footprint in “pounds of CO 2 ”. (22 tons = 44,000 lbs) RECORD ACTUAL ANSWERS ON YOUR HW. Add your carbon and ecological footprints to the graphs on the board Done? Work on homework in notebook: what could you do to lower your footprints? “Carbon footprint solutions”

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PERIOD 4

Period 6

Today’s goal: Review: – WA State Science Standards expect you to understand: Ecosystem services Unintended consequences of using ecosystem services Sustainable development Constraints on making resource use more sustainable – Discuss and be ready to share: what do each of the above terms mean (review!)? Today’s task: – Since fossil fuel consumption (ecosystem service) is unsustainable and has had unintended consequences, we may have to develop solutions that make it more sustainable. What are constraints on those solutions?

Carbon Footprint Presentations As a group, complete the following on paper (turned in – include names!) Develop an answer: “What are 2 effective solutions your group thinks could be taken to meaningfully lower the average US CO 2 footprint?” Solutions could be at the individual, community, or global level. – Be reasonable, and fully explain how solution would be implemented. – USE WHAT YOU LEARNED FROM YESTERDAY’S QUIZ – What are some of the constraints for each of these steps? Explain each. Solutions must have reasonable constraints. Groups are being graded on their presentations. Two reasonable answers with clearly identified constraints will earn full credit. – Solutions must actually have a chance of working to earn full credit. Passing a law to make everyone a vegetarian is not a reasonable solution. Be ready to present in front of class by the time on the board. – Choose one or two presenters, two recorders

Example Solution (you need to develop your own!) – Consumers could be required by government regulation to purchase at least 50% of their food from within 200 miles of their home address Would lower the amount of carbon dioxide released in transporting good from far away (average distance food travels to get to consumers is 1,500 miles) Constraints – Difficult to regulate and enforce – Consumers might be unwilling to change habits – Legislators/government agencies might be unwilling or unable to pass or develop regulations – Food industry might pushback

Carbon Footprint Presentations Each group will present ONE of their two ideas. – One or two presenters talk – Two recorders – one records solution, other records constraint(s) Take notes – “Carbon Sustainability Presentations” Record: – Group number – Main idea of each solution – Major constraints of each solution Be prepared to offer your opinions, thoughts, etc. on solutions you think might be most effective.

Wrap up discussion Discuss, be ready to share: – Which solution would be most effective? – In your answer explain why it would be the best combination of increasing sustainability while having the least restrictive constraints.