What is an Engineer? Why are they so important?

2. What is an Engineer? Why are they so important?

4. Climate Change… We’ve all heard of it before So What is it?

5. Today we will be referring to Climate Change as: “the accelerated, unnatural warming of the earth due to the discharge of Greenhouse Gases as a result of human activities.”

6. The Greenhouse Effect Sourced from: http://staffwww.fullcoll.edu/tmorris/an_inconvenient_truth/an_inconvenient_truth.htm

7. The Greenhouse Gases CO2 Carbon Dioxide N2O Nitrous Oxide SF6 HFCs CH4 Methane PFCs

8. The Greenhouse Gases Greenhouse Gas Contributions to Global Warming Chart source: www.ieagreen.org.uk/1.pdf

9. The Evidence… Data Source: World Watch Institute

10. More Evidence… Data Source: www.whrc.org/resources/online_publications/warming_earth/scientific_evidence.htm

11. One More Set of Graphs ... Data Source: www.whrc.org/resources/online_publications/warming_earth/scientific_evidence.htm

12. THE CO2 GAME • 10 people represent the world’s population • CO2 cards show the world’s carbon emissions • Money represents the global GDP

13. Why Should You Care?

14. Environmental Impacts

15. Other Impacts… Livelihoods of Future Generations Socio-economic Impact

16. Something to Think About… The Red Cross states: “Natural disasters in 1998 created more refugees than wars or other armed conflicts. Declining soil fertility, drought, flooding and deforestation drove 25 million ‘environmental refugees’ from their land...The group represented 58% of the total refugee population worldwide”

17. Climate Justice “The idea of fair distribution of responsibility among the developed countries to avert or cushion the negative impacts of global warming on disadvantaged communities.”

18. Something to Think About…

19. Recommendations • Emissions Trading – Setting and Promoting CO2 reduction targets • Technology Cooperation – Increased funding for R&D into low carbon technologies • Action to Reduce Deforestation – Loss of forests contributes more to Global Warming than entire transport sector. • Adaptation – Climate Change to be integrated into development policy. From the Stern Review Summary of Conclusions, pg 9

20. How are the undeveloped nations being affected by global warming and climate change? What technologies can we use to stop climate change from having such a large impact?

21. 1. Agriculture Climate change has been shown to affect: • Land quality • Soil nutrients • Soil acidity • Water retention • Drainage

22. Engineering SolutionsImpact management Civil and Environmental engineering • Drainage system • Bore water holes • Reticulation systems

23. 2. Weather anomalies • Floods • Heat waves • Drought • Rising sea level • Decreased or increased precipitation • Powerful storm surges

24. Engineering solutionsImpact management • Improve building designs design • Better town layout and planning for low-lying areas • Improving disaster relief accessibility • Coastal dams and seawalls • Drainage systems to cope with flood situations. • Predict weather events before they arise

25. 3. Sanitization and Health • Extreme weather conditions can cause: • Waste management issues • Food and water contamination • Destroy food sources, leading to malnutrition and a rise in disease • Spread of insect and water borne diseases

26. Engineering solutionsImpact management • Better sanitization systems • Clean water, and storage systems • Appropriate housing

27. Summary • Climate change consequences: • Agriculture devastation, • Animal extinction and migration • Weather anomalies • Health emergencies • Poorer countries will suffer the most in the short term

28. Summary continued THE GOOD NEWS …. • There are plenty of solutions to these issues THE CHALLENGES … • Some of the solutions have ethical issues • They all cost money, a problem for poorer countries, who are rarely the cause of Climate Change forces

29. Part 2: Green transport Aim of green transport: To produce transportation methods (both public and private vehicles) which emit fewer greenhouse gases. Pie chart shows how CO2 is produced www.envirolink.org/orgs/edf/sitemap.html

30. Typical emissions of various vehicles

31. Large car comparison

32. Medium car comparison

33. Small car comparison

34. Transport conclusions Do you really need a 4WD? Do you have the most fuel efficient model? • Obviously – the smaller the car, the fewer emissions. • So why do people keep buying the most heavily polluting cars?

35. Vehicle technology Petrol engine Diesel engine Electric motor Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Hydrogen cell

36. The prevention is better than the cure So lets start preventing NOW! • Talk to people about climate change and what they can do • Set an example! • Reduce, re-use and recycle! • Buy better products • Support greener companies • Try to make yourselves carbon neutral!

37. NEXT TIME… • Electricity and Transport – how do they effect climate change? • Renewable energy –the global warming solution? • United Nations Climate Change Assembly –YOU will be the members!!