GEOG 352

1. Kirklees GEOG 352 Day 9: Chapter 5 (Energy) Kristianstad

2. Images of Kirklees and Kristianstad Reminder that outlines are due On Thursday…..

3. Housekeeping Items • What did you think of Kathryn’s presentation? Any specific feedback? • One question we didn’t get to address was that of ‘market failure.’ Wikipedia defines market failures as “scenarios where individuals' pursuit of pure self-interest leads to results that are not efficient – that can be improved upon from the societal point-of-view.” In what sense is the housing market on parts of the West Coast a manifestation of this? • How was the film on energy alternatives in India? • Thanks to Corentin for stickhandling logistical issues in my absence. The conference was of interest and there were definitely presentations at the conference that were relevant to our course, which I will try to share with you at a later date.

4. Housekeeping Items • Today, we have a couple of presentations on housing issues (Taylor and Jenna) that couldn’t be presented while I was away and the start of the energy presentations (Karla, Dana, Ashley #1, and Genevieve – not all have to present today). • Regarding energy, on September 27th, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its fifth assessment report on the state of the world’s climate. • As they note in their press release: “Warming in the climate system is unequivocal and since 1950 many changes have been observed throughout the climate system that are unprecedented over decades to millennia. Each of the last three decades has been successively warmer at the Earth’s surface than any preceding decade since 1850, reports the Summary for Policymakers of the IPCC Working Group…

5. IPCC REPORT • ‘Our assessment of the science finds that the atmosphere and ocean have warmed, the amount of snow and ice has diminished, the global mean sea level has risen and the concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased,’ said Qin Dahe, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I. • Thomas Stocker, the other Co-Chair of Working Group I said: ‘Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. Global surface temperature change for the end of the 21st century is projected to be likely to exceed 1.5°C relative to 1850 to 1900 in all but the lowest scenario considered, and likely to exceed 2°C for the two high scenarios,’ said… Stocker. ‘Heat waves are very likely to occur more frequently and last longer. As the Earth warms, we expect to see currently wet regions receiving more rainfall, and dry regions receiving less, although there will be exceptions,’ he added.”

6. Pathways to Energy Sufficiency • Energy consumption from non-renewable fossil fuels is at the heart of what is contributing to climate change. • Initially in the face of the politically caused ‘energy crisis,’ a number of countries (including Canada) explored alternatives to fossil fuel consumption – to oil, in particular. However, after oil became available again and the price dropped, this research and development was dropped – in Canada at least. However, Denmark was one of the countries that did not let it go. • The National Round Table on Environment and the Economy, which explored greenhouse gas reduction strategies, that the authors quote on p. 112 has since been terminated by the Harper government.

7. Pathways to Energy Sufficiency • The chapter profiles two cases: the Kirklees/ Yorkshire Energy Services program in the UK, and the Fossil-Fuel-Free Kristianstad program in Sweden. Though a few years old now, other success stories are reviewed in Chris Turner’s The Geography of Hope. • The first was an attempt to influence citizens’ decisions around energy that would have an impact on GHG emissions. • It involved a collaboration amongst agencies, credit unions and contractors, with assistance from senior governments, and enabled not only significant improvements in energy consumption, but also economic and social benefits. • The program was successful in not only educating residents about the advantages of energy conservation retrofits, but provided effective financial incentives.

8. Pathways to Energy Sufficiency • The second case involves a small city, whose population is much smaller than Nanaimo, and a collection of 25 adjacent towns and villages who collectively make up a territory about the size of the Regional District of Nanaimo. Joined together the population of the area is almost equal to Nanaimo City by itself. • For the past nearly thirty years, the region has been exploring alternative energy, beginning with the municipal energy company that started utilizing waste wood chips instead of oil in the mid-80s. These are used in a combined heat and power (CHP) process that contributes to an ever-expanding district heating network. • Instead of waste heat generated by combustion being lost, it is captured and used to heat water and or buildings.

9. Pathways to Energy Sufficiency • In addition the municipal company that operates the landfill built a biogas production plant to capture and use methane from decomposing garbage and food industry waste to produce electricity. • From 1998 to 2002, the proportion the source of energy for municipal buildings went from 48% fossil fuel 9%, and biofuels going from 27 to 78%. Households are also encouraged through grants to switch from oil to wood pellets, and biofuels are being explored as an energy source for vehicles. • In addition to pre-existing hydro power, and the new shift to CHP, the region is also relying increasingly on windpower (see chart on p. 123). • These two cases give clues for the major projects: the capital benefits are described on pp. 124-125, and the lessons of the cases are offered on pp. 125-126.