2009 Summit on Global Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases

1. 2009 Summit on Global Climate Change and Greenhouse Gases Swathi Ayyagari May 18, 2009

2. Effects of Climate Change in the United States • Warm temperatures can increase air and water pollution, which can harm human health • Climate related disturbances (changes in the amount of infective parasites) in ecological systems can occur • Extreme heat waves during the summer (those with hearth problems, asthma, the elderly, children, and the homeless are especially vulnerable)

3. Effects of Climate Change in the United States • May alter the frequency and severity of hurricanes and extreme heat and floods • Algal blooms could occur more frequently, which could lead to an immergence of cholera • Higher temperatures could prolong disease transmission seasons • Air quality problems (respiratory disorders) could arise due to frequency of ground level ozone and particulate air pollution

4. Ground-Level Ozone • Ground-level ozone is formed by sunlight and high temperatures combined with nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds • Ground-level ozone can damage lung tissue and is harmful to those with asthma and other chronic lung diseases

5. Particulate Matter (PM) • Particulate matter is a complex mixture of extremely small particles and liquid droplets • Exposure is linked to health problems and visibility impairment

6. Effects in the Northeast • Northward shifts in the ranges of plant and animal species because of warmer temperatures • Coastal erosion, loss of wetland habitat, and increased risk from storm surges from sea level rise • Higher summer heat and reduced winter cold • Coastal flooding leading to increased vulnerability of infrastructure (roads and utilities)

7. Effects in the Southeast and Gulf Coast • Increased coastal erosion (loss of barrier islands and wetlands) • Coastal flood plains at risk to flooding from sea level rise, storm surge, and extreme precipitation • Increase of disturbances in forests(fire and insect outbreaks) • Higher summer heat and reduced winter cold

8. Effects in Midwest and Great Lakes • Lowered lake and river levels from warm temperatures and increased evaporation (impacting recreation and shipping) • Warming lake and river temperatures, leading to reductions in fish stocks • Decrease in water quality leading to habitat loss and eutrophication • Increased carbon dioxide and warmer temperatures • Higher summer heat and reduced winter cold

9. Effects in the Great Plains • Increase in the potential for drought and agricultural productivity shifts northward • Increased springtime floods and summertime droughts • Higher summer heat and reduced winter cold

10. Effects in the West • Higher temperatures and intensified winter precipitation leading to changes in natural ecosystems • Earlier snowmelt and reductions in snowpack • Decreased yields of crops (California wine grapes) • Increased stress on groundwater systems • Higher summer heat and reduced winter cold • Increased wildfire potential

11. Effects in Alaska • Warming and increased pest outbreaks leading to forest disruption • Increase in biological production from warming • Reduced sea ice, disrupting polar bears, marine mammals, and other wildlife • Damage to infrastructure resulting from permafrost melting • Retreating sea ice and earlier snowmelt, altering native people’s traditional life style

12. Wedges • The concept of stabilization wedges was created to indicate the “wedges” that need to be cut out of predicted future carbon emissions in the next 50 years to avoid a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide over pre-industrial levels

13. Wedges that best meet the United State’s Goals • Efficiency transport • CCS electricity • Efficiency buildings • Efficiency electricity • Nuclear electricity • Wind electricity • Solar Energy • Biofuels Alternate Wedges: • Fuel-switching electricity • Forest storage

14. CDMs and Partnerships • A Clean Development Mechanism is an arrangement under the Kyoto Protocol with projects to reduce emissions in developing countries

15. In Conclusion… • Global climate change and greenhouse gases are negatively altering the environment and lifestyles in the United States and world. • Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels can be reduced through the use of effective wedges, CDMs, and Partnerships