Reports from the Durban Climate Conference 2011 

Background information for Durban is HERE.

Reports corresponding to these items are POSTED BELOW.

1. Dr. Ann Braudis, Co-Chair of the UN Committee for Sustainable Development (CoNGO, NY), report received Dec 1

2. iisd Durban reports (daily)

3. Proposals by the EU and China

4. Global Climate Deal "Beyond Our Reach": UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

5. Video summarizing Durban negotiations to Dec 7

6. U.S. Delay on Climate Pact Spurs Backlash

7. Ban Urges Launch of Green Climate Fund

8. Summary of Negotiations as of Saturday morning Dec 10

9. Video "Ode to Kyoto" from Youth Supporting the Kyoto Protocol

10. Preliminary Durban Outcome and Psychology of the Negotiations

11. "Durban Platform for Enhanced Action" Announced

12. Durban Platform / Extended Kyoto Protocol Not Enough to Limit Temperature Rise to 2 Degrees C

13. Reaction of some NGOs to the Durban Platform Agreement

14. Reaction of Ban Ki-moon to the Durban Platform

15. Danger of Temperature Rise over 3 Degrees C by 2100 with Severe Consequences

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Climate change is upon us, and is causing devastating effects already, with more to come.  One area it is affecting is our water resources (see http://climate.uu-uno.org/blogs/view/169148/?topic=71030).  But water can be enlisted as an ally in the fight against global warming.  Several different forms of renewable energy are water-based.

The most widely used form of water-based renewable energy is hydropower.  Turbines are placed in streams, rivers, and other small bodies of water with a current.  The current of water turns the turbine, and this motion is converted to usable electricity.  Hydropower currently supplies about 2% of the electricity used in the United States and 20% worldwide.

Pros: Hydroelectric power is relatively cheap and produces low carbon emissions.

Cons: In many cases dams are used to facilitate the current; these dams can have a negative ecological impact on the surrounding area.  Suitable locations for hydropower turbines are nearly exhausted in the United States, though there is more potential in other countries. 

Geothermal energy is another promising renewable energy.  Naturally occurring hot springs provide an influx of hot water or steam, which can be converted to electricity.  Geothermal currently supplies 0.3% of the electricity used in the United States.

Pros: Geothermal energy comes from a constant source and produces low carbon emissions.

Cons: There are limited extractable sources and high capital costs associated with geothermal energy.

Tidal power harnesses the motion from tidal flows in coastal areas using turbines or dams.  Tidal power technology is in its infancy, and as such its current deployment is very limited.

Pros: Tidal power is a predictable and consistent source, and produces low carbon emissions.

Cons: Tidal power relies on primitive technology and limited locations, can result in negative ecological consequences if dams are used, and is not yet economically competitive.

Wave power captures the power inherent in ocean waves.  Like tidal power, wave power technology is largely undeveloped.

Pros: Wave power has massive potential for electricity generation, and produces low carbon emissions.

Cons: Wave power technology is primitive, can potentially result in negative ecological consequences, and is not yet economically competitive.

Though all of these forms of renewable energy come with a cost, all are superior to dirty fossil fuels and all have a place in the future of meeting the world’s electricity needs.

Stay tuned for a discussion of the other sources of renewable energy we have at our disposal.

Sources:

http://www.haeturbines.com/Hydropower%20Overview.html

http://interestingenergyfacts.blogspot.com/2009/09/geothermal-energy-quick-overview.html

http://www.darvill.clara.net/altenerg/tidal.htm

http://climatex.org/articles/climate-change-info/wave-energy-overview/

Climate change is an inherently interdisciplinary issue.  It affects numerous aspects of the environment, including water.

Water shortages are nothing new.  History is riddled with droughts in various areas of the world, particularly those that are usually dry.  Droughts in recent times are rarer, at least in industrialized countries, as technology has enabled easy travel of fresh water to where it is needed.  But they are by no means eliminated.  For example, Australia has been struggling with water in recent years.  The government has enacted strict regulations on water use: sprinklers, swimming pools, car washes, and window washing are all limited, sometimes very heavily, depending on how bad the water situation is in a given area.

Australia and the rest of the world has much more to fear if climate change continues unabated.  Global warming has a demonstrably negative effect on freshwater resources. It directly affects water from glaciers and snowpack.  Indirectly, global warming will result in an increased water demand from the agricultural sector, further eating away into already diminishing supplies. Increased precipitation and runoff will result in more pollutants in freshwater reserves.  Rising salinity in seawater resulting from the climate change-induced sea level rise will restrict freshwater in coastal areas.

Climate change is poised to wreck immense havoc on our precious water resources and a myriad of other resources.  We must act swiftly and effectively to save them.

Stay tuned for a discussion of how water can help mitigate climate change.

Sources:

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/effects/water/

http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/livedrought.shtml

http://www.climate.org/topics/water.html

For the definitive ICCP report on the issue, look at http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/technical-papers/climate-change-water-en.pdf

Climate change is often thought of as a political issue mostly discussed and dealt with by adults in the confines of a congressional house or the United Nations.  But global warming is something that affects everyone, not just politicians.  Young people will be especially affected because they will live longer and experience the more severe effects of global warming, since it is only getting worse.

Many youths have realized this and decided to take action.  Some are being galvanized by the organizations Energy Action Coalition and Power Shift.  Both seek to increase youth involvement with the movement to mitigate climate change.

One major event organized by Power Shift was a march in Washington, DC. The big push was on April 18, 2011, in which thousands of youths marched to make their voices heard on climate change.  Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F5969FaW7w for some footage of the march.

But the action is by no means over.  Youths are finding more and more ways to get involved, including contacting politicians, working to spread awareness in their communities, and on-the-ground work such as energy efficiency projects and installing solar panels.

Check out the website to see how you can get involved.

Sources:

Power Shift, http://www.wearepowershift.org/

James Henn, “Power Shift 2011: 10,000 take on Big Polluters in DC”, Huffington Post

We have long relied on batteries for powering small electronic devices.  However, battery technology has evolved far past the AAAs we still use, and hold significant promise for transforming our present into a sustainable future.

Among the many places that battery technology is changing is for electric and hybrid vehicles.   For example, research is underway that shows semisolid fuel cell batteries hold significant advantages over current lithium ion battery designs – once the bugs are worked out.  Should today’s research be fully implemented, lithium ion batteries could hold over ten times as much energy.  Even further in the future, when battery development moves past lithium, the potential is greater still.

The implications of advanced vehicle battery designs are potentially monumental.  If and when battery technology matures to the point that electric vehicles are as cheap and effective as traditional automobiles, they will be attractive to consumers and we could see electric vehicles become the norm, rather than the exception.   As renewable energies become a greater part of our electricity mix, electric vehicles will become a much more carbon-neutral means of transportation, and will be a critical part of a modern, sustainable society.

Battery technology is also evolving for larger roles, such as for utility companies.  Multiple new designs are being researched, such as sodium sulfur, zinc-bromide, vanadium redox, nickel-cadmium, and lead-acid.  Currently, utility scale batteries are very expensive and can result in significant electricity cost increases to consumers.  However, batteries used for this purpose will be particularly important when we get more of our electricity from renewable sources like wind and solar.  Solar panels can only generate electricity when the sun is shining, and wind turbines can only generate electricity when the wind is blowing.  But people use electricity around the clock, so electricity transmission and storage must be kept in mind as key players.  Smart grids will require advanced utility scale batteries to store electricity so it can be delivered when needed.

Sources:  Robert F. Service, “Getting There”, Science Magazine, June 2011.

Robert Peltier, “Can Utility-Scale Batteries Rescue Intermittent Renewables?”, Master Resource, March 2010.

SustainableBusiness.com news, “GE, Saft Announce Utility-Scale Battery Offerings”, May 2010.

Alternative Energy Resources, “Electric Car Batteries: How to Choose”, grandwindpower.com

Environmental News Related to Climate Change

The composite photos of the earth are by NASA (2001-2002).

Here is the RSS feed from the Energy & Environment News Blog from The Hill:

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