ENERGY’S FUTURE

An IEEE Central Coast Section PACE Project       Except as noted, the opinions stated here do not represent the opinions of the IEEE or of organizations within the IEEE

This site is undergoing several changes - we apologies for incomplete pages but the empty pages will be filled as soon as possible..

Can We Move To A Sustainable Energy World?

Scientific American February 2008 has an article on climate change: The Unquiet Ice by Robin E Bell. She describes recent observations about the movement of ice in the polar regions due to water discovered under the ice caps that is lubricating movement to the sea. She says that for every 150 cubic miles of ice that moves from land to sea, the global sea level rises a 16th of an inch.

If the ice sheets from Greenland and antarctica should move to the sea, ocean levels would rise more than 213 feet. 

Since a third of the world’s population lives within 300 feet of present sea level and most of the major cities are near the ocean, serious concern about the changes in polar regions should be given.

Without the movement of sea ice raising sea levels, there is still melting of the ice caps that has been measured at increasing sea levels at the rate of about /98 inches every ten years.

(The September 2006 issue of Scientific American covers many of the issues described here. In fact, the issue has Energy’s Future as its title. This site proceeded the Scientific American issue. This site does not represent the opinions of Scientific American nor were the Scientific American editors aware of this site.

A look at the chart below, is what prompted the Editor to look into the energy topic. There is something happening to our atmosphere. How will it affect us? The topics relating to energy are complex and the conclusions one may draw depend on the viewers background. Some of the predictions reported here may seem to some to be based on analytical techniques that are controversial. The measurements that have been taken such as the charts below and other observations reported here on other pages are alarming.

In the IEEE-USA Energy Policy, there is a priority that calls for "Promoting R&D to provide fuel diversity and clean fuels".(http://www.ieeeusa.org/policy/issues/index)

The IEEE USA Energy policy site does not explain how this policy was arrived at. On the other hand, independent published sources that support this policy are:

· A high rate of energy consumption has environmental impact – global warming is predicted with a variety of side effects - human induced linkage evidence is mounting - there may be increased potential for sudden, unpredictable climate change.

· Global mean surface temperatures have been rising over the last 140 years.

· Sea levels have been rising over the last 300 years.

· Continued fossil fuel consumption can produce serious direct health side effects, predominantly respiratory illnesses. 500,000 deaths are attributed to air quality issues each year in Ontario, Canada, Canada estimates that pollution costs $1B in medical / hospital fees and absenteeism for 11.9M people. - scaled to the US that would be about $30B/year. Almost 290,000 premature deaths occur each year in China costing 7% of GDP.

· A recent report concludes that global warming linked to increased greenhouse gas favors the spread of asthma. In American cities, cases have risen fourfold in recent years. One report claims that rising carbon dioxide concentrations may be promoting the growth of ragweed, pollen and fungus which can be aggravating asthma.

· 15% to 37% of a sample of 1,103 land plants and animals would eventually become extinct as a result of climate changes expected by 2050. A rapid shift to technologies that do not produce greenhouse gasses, combined with carbon sequestration, could save 15% - 20% of species from extinction according to some sources.

· Scientists appear to be focusing on limiting the levels of
greenhouse gasses to 2X pre-industrial levels or 550 ppm to prevent these issues from becoming more serious.

· Some 141 countries, accounting for 55% of greenhouse gas emissions, have ratified the Kyoto Protocol treaty which pledges to cut these greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% by 2012. The US – has not signed.

Original Screens by Dr. B. K. Richard, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This material originated as Power Point slides which accounts for the layout. Some screens modified, some added by the Editor David P Perry, As an IEEE Central Coast Section PACE Project

Newsweek:  August 10, 2007 Denials about global warming seem to be coming from studies funded by certain oil and energy companies. It is reported here that these companies have paid individuals with scientific background to write articles denying the effect of carbon emissions on climate change. 

A political figure, in 2007 published a circular titled “Implications of the Gore Hoax”. Here is an example of someone who has publicly bought the climate change denial.

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