Climate Change / Global Warming Discussion

[voyager]

I can accept that when renewables will be abundant, and based on sel-reliance (own solar panels etc.), the whole issue of energy falls away.
The problem is that in many countries that may take decades, if not impossible.
Btw, if the grid is down and solar panels don't work, then all bets are off.

Then there is the issue of available space and infrastructure. We can add more lanes.... but we can also try to utilize existing infrastructure better.
Lanes are (almost) twice as wide as cars, which are wider than the usually single occupant (driver) is tall.

 

[mspohr]

Vehicle-to-grid inches closer to reality, but barriers remain

V2G tech could offer low-cost energy storage at a huge scale, but many barriers must be overcome.

pv-magazine-usa.com

In the energy storage industry, it can be easy to think that the growth trajectory is exceptional. Indeed, six months ago, in the IHS Markit Grid-Connected Energy Storage Market Tracker (our bi-annual evaluation of the energy storage industry), we predicted that the industry would double in size in 2021, with installations topping 10 GW for the first time. This is no doubt impressive. However, the changes underway in the automotive space are happening at an even larger scale. With this huge scale, there will inevitably be speculation on how to exploit the idle batteries sitting in the millions of EVs parked at any one time as a grid asset and an enabler for higher penetrations of renewable energy.

 

[mspohr]

Welcome to the ‘plastisphere’: the synthetic ecosystem evolving at sea

Could the plastisphere evolve in such a way that bacteria would essentially eat it, or at least help us identify ways to break down our plastic waste? “I’d definitely agree that [microbes on] plastics are going to be the key place to look in the fight against plastic,” says Wright.

Just like our own gastrointestinal microbiome, which is massively important to our overall health, the plastisphere’s microbiome also has “an important role to play”, says Amaral-Zettler. Since we have modified our planet to the extent that these microbes have evolved to fit our plasticised oceans, understanding the new ecosystem we seem to have accidentally created is crucial. “For better or for worse, like plastic,” she says, “the plastisphere is here to stay.”

 

[eevee-fan]

In the PNW, homes tend not to have AC. Having an EV is sounding better and better every day.

 

[jimm01]

While the IPCC Interactive Atlas didn’t get as much attention as harrowing news stories about the report itself, it’s a striking tool that projects regional temperature, rainfall, snowfall, and even sea level rise. It’s powered by the same models that produced data for the report, and represents some of the best climate science out there in visual form.

Where extreme weather is getting even worse, in one map

IPCC’s new interactive atlas reveals how climate change will shape weather around the world

www.vox.com

 

[nwdiver]

I can accept that when renewables will be abundant, and based on sel-reliance (own solar panels etc.), the whole issue of energy falls away.

Long before even a majority of energy comes from renewables there will be sufficient curtailment to fully supply all EVs. You need to look at the marginal energy use not the average. EVs are unique in that their charging can be sync'd to when there's surplus.

 

[jimm01]

As coronavirus cases surge across the United States, another factor is playing a large role in shifting power demand and meddling with the grid and electricity mix: heat.

High temperatures have pushed some parts of the country to electric consumption levels well beyond what was seen last year as people crank up air conditioners to keep cool.

Heat is also reducing output from some resources such as natural gas and hydroelectric plants, while in others, it’s taxing infrastructure, such as power lines that are critical to keeping the lights on. In the West, a once-in-a-generation heat dome event, widespread wildfires and record-low water levels at hydroelectric dams are testing the grid, while Texas is grappling with power plant outages.

Utilities, meanwhile, have to juggle the realities of an evolving generation mix as intermittent wind and solar play larger roles in supplying power. Some experts caution that states are not necessarily ready for the new reality of disruption.

4 issues to watch as heat disrupts the grid

From hydropower shutdowns to solar panels weakened by humidity, grid trouble this summer during heat waves signals what is likely to happen more frequently in a warming world, experts say.

www.eenews.net

 

[jimm01]

The International Energy Agency estimates that over the next three decades, the number of air conditioning units installed worldwide will triple to about six billion, producing the following paradox: the more coolers, the more greenhouse gas emissions given the insufficient decarbonization of electric power generation in most countries, creating a vicious circle. In some places, such as cities, this also creates heat islands that can contribute to even higher temperatures. It is estimated that air conditioning systems, although concentrated in a small number of countries, consume around 10% of the world’s electricity, and over the next three decades will generate more than 132 gigatons of carbon dioxide. Many of them, especially the older units, still use HFC gases, whose impact on climate change is much worse than carbon dioxide.

The air conditioning paradox

A timely article in Fast Company, “ACs are bulky, loud, and terrible for the environment. Is there a better version in our future?”…

medium.com

"Once again, we face one of the challenges of modern times: our activities have triggered a series of vicious circles we can’t control. Let’s see if we can rise to the challenge." ~ Enrique Dans

​

 

[mspohr]

By pushing for more oil production, the US is killing its climate pledges | Adam Tooze

Higher gasoline costs, if left unchecked, risk harming the ongoing global recovery. The price of crude oil has been higher than it was at the end of 2019, before the onset of the pandemic. While Opec+ recently agreed to production increases, these increases will not fully offset previous production cuts that Opec+ imposed during the pandemic until well into 2022. At a critical moment in the global recovery, this is simply not enough. President Biden has made clear that he wants Americans to have access to affordable and reliable energy, including at the pump. Although we are not a party to Opec, the United States will always speak to international partners regarding issues of significance that affect our national economic and security affairs, in public and private.” Yes, you read that correctly. One of the most senior figures in the Biden administration, the administration that promised climate was “everywhere” in its policy, is declaring that an increase in petrol prices to $3.17 per gallon is a matter of national security and that the US reserves the right to cajole Opec and Russia into flooding the world with more oil.

 

[mspohr]

Climate change is making people think twice about having children

A growing number of people are reluctant to bring a child into a world that's set to be ravaged by climate change in the coming decades.

www.cnbc.com

Analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a note to investors last month that the “movement to not have children owing to fears over climate change is growing and impacting fertility rates quicker than any preceding trend in the field of fertility decline.”

 

[voyager]

The International Energy Agency estimates that over the next three decades,
the number of air conditioning units installed worldwide will triple to about six billion,
producing the following paradox: the more coolers, the more greenhouse gas emissions
given the insufficient decarbonization of electric power generation in most countries, creating a vicious circle.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Climate change is making people think twice about having children

A growing number of people are reluctant to bring a child into a world that's set to be ravaged by climate change in the coming decades.

www.cnbc.com

Analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a note to investors last month that the “movement to not have children owing to fears over climate change is growing and impacting fertility rates quicker than any preceding trend in the field of fertility decline.”

A Convenient Excuse.

 

[mspohr]

Greenhouse gas emissions must peak within 4 years, says leaked UN report

Group of scientists release draft IPCC report as they fear it will be watered down by governments

www.theguardian.com

Global greenhouse gas emissions must peak in the next four years, coal and gas-fired power plants must close in the next decade and lifestyle and behavioural changes will be needed to avoid climate breakdown, according to the leaked draft of a report from the world’s leading authority on climate science.

Rich people in every country are overwhelmingly more responsible for global heating than the poor, with SUVs and meat-eating singled out for blame, and the high-carbon basis for future economic growth is also questioned.

 

[voyager]

The other day I was discussing on TheHill Biden's call to OPEC to pump up more oil, so gas prices can be held in check.
I wrote:
"The Wallet is key to changing consumer behavior. Energy is way too cheap. No energy without emissions.
Gasoline in the US is 60-70% cheaper than it is in the EU. How's that gonna incentivize people to buy EVs?"

Someone responded:
"A gas guzzling suv can be had for $5,000 used. Cheap EVs are in the 30,000 plus range . Most Americans can not afford them."

Touché I thought; there’s a double challenge: 1. how to make EVs more affordable, and 2. how to phase out polluting gas-guzzlers?
If the ‘new ride’ is appealing enough, then 1. may well solve 2.

 

[Merrill]

Gas has always been to cheap in the US, if you where to stop subsidies and slow production it would raise the price of gas to $7 a gallon at the pump then you would see more EV’s.

 

[mspohr]

The other day I was discussing on TheHill Biden's call to OPEC to pump up more oil, so gas prices can be held in check.
I wrote:
"The Wallet is key to changing consumer behavior. Energy is way too cheap. No energy without emissions.
Gasoline in the US is 60-70% cheaper than it is in the EU. How's that gonna incentivize people to buy EVs?"

Someone responded:
"A gas guzzling suv can be had for $5,000 used. Cheap EVs are in the 30,000 plus range . Most Americans can not afford them."

Touché I thought; there’s a double challenge: 1. how to make EVs more affordable, and 2. how to phase out polluting gas-guzzlers?
If the ‘new ride’ is appealing enough, then 1. may well solve 2.

Obviously you can't compare new vs used prices to reach any conclusion.

 

[JRP3]

Gas has always been to cheap in the US, if you where to stop subsidies and slow production it would raise the price of gas to $7 a gallon at the pump then you would see more EV’s.

The problem with that approach is that it always impacts lower incomes the hardest. They end up spending more every day and become even less able to afford an EV, which because of demand and limited supply would become more expensive for a while.

 

[dhrivnak]

Gas has always been to cheap in the US, if you where to stop subsidies and slow production it would raise the price of gas to $7 a gallon at the pump then you would see more EV’s.

Or at least raise the federal gas tax to pay for the infrastructure bill.

 

[mspohr]

Or at least raise the federal gas tax to pay for the infrastructure bill.

Carbon tax

 

[mspohr]

Computer Models Of Civilization Offer Routes To Ending Global Warming

Scientists who warned of heat waves and rising seas this week also say that it's possible to avoid the worst effects of the warming climate. They're relying on computer models of the world economy.

www.npr.org

"It is still possible to forestall most of the dire impacts, but it really requires unprecedented, transformational change," said Ko Barrett, vice chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. "The idea that there still is a pathway forward, I think, is a point that should give us some hope."

The good news is that the models found a way to meet that target, at least in scenarios where world governments were inclined to cooperate in meeting their Paris commitments. In fact, according to Keywan Riahi, at the International Institute for Applied Systems, in Austria, they found multiple paths to zero carbon.