Re/Action on Climate Protection

The carbon cycle

There is a strong and well-known correlation between the level or concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (expressed in parts per million or ppm) and the average global surface temperature. It has been shown by the work of Michael Mann and others that as the level of atmospheric carbon dioxide has increased in the past 200 or so years, the global average surface temperature has increased. This is the basis for the theory of global warming.

Why has the level of carbon dioxide increased?  It is widely agreed that two human activities are primarily responsible: 1) the burning of fossil fuels; 2) deforestation. Fossil fuels are "ancient carbon." Deforestation decreases the biosphere's ability to take up and store carbon. Why do these factors change the atmosphere?

The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is regulated by the carbon cycle. This is a natural process whereby the element carbon is transferred between "natural sources" and "natural sinks". Sources and sinks are like pipes that are connected to "carbon stocks." The largest natural carbon stocks are the lithosphere (crude oil, coal, magma), the biosphere (all carbon-based life), the oceans and the atmosphere. Carbon is transferred among the stocks via flows between sources and sinks. The uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide by plants is an example of a flow to a sink. Decomposition of organic material is another example of a flow. A volcanic eruption is another example. The amount of carbon in the cycle changes over geologic time, i.e., eons.

When humans burn coal or products derived from crude oil, the carbon dioxide from this burning is composed of carbon that was stored in the lithosphere eons ago. It was taken out of the carbon cycle and stored, or sequestered, in the lithosphere. Now it is being re-injected into the carbon cycle at a rate that is unprecedented in the history of the planet. The "ancient carbon" that is being emitted is ending up in the two stocks that are able to accept it: the oceans and the atmosphere. The signs of increased carbon levels in the ocean are increasing pH level or increasing acidity. This is having a profound effect on ocean life. The sign of increased carbon level in the atmosphere is increasing carbon dioxide concentration. The carbon dioxide level is now the highest it has been in the last 400,000 years, and possibly the last 20 million years. The rate of increase of the carbon dioxide level is unprecedented in the history of the planet.

Here is a link to the IPCC TAR discussion of the carbon cycle.

http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/098.htm

Zero net carbon

"Zero net carbon" or "low carbon" is a way of talking about the effect of human-caused GHG emissions on the atmospheric carbon dioxide level. If an activity is zero-net-carbon, it does not increase the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It is clear that, in order to reverse the trend of increasing GHG emissions due to new demand for energy, new development must be zero net carbon. Here are some ways that this can be accomplished:

http://www.bedzed.org.uk/main.html

http://climateprotectioncampaign.jot.com/NewDevelopment

Action on Climate Protection

Hello, Climate Protection Campaign is launching our blog. This blog is intended to stimulate discussion about what can be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We are currently working on projects at the local level, but we advocate action at all levels: local, state, federal and international.

What we want to do in this blog is to discuss solutions. We want to know what is working elsewhere in the world...and we want to share our experiences with what is working here in Sonoma County.

Although we will post articles on science and links to basic climate science, our aim is not primarily to discuss the science of global warming and climate change. We are not climate scientists, but we view the science of global warming as basically settled. We have adopted and endorse the findings of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), which are that:

• The planet is warming
• Most of the warming in the past 100 years is caused by humans (anthropogenic)
• The human activities most responsible for warming are emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and deforestation.
• Emissions of GHGs that are causing global warming are primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels.
• Significant reduction in GHG emissions is necessary to prevent dangerous changes to the global climate.

In addition to the findings of the IPCC, our view is that meaningful reductions must be accomplished as quickly as possible in order to stabilize the level of atmospheric CO2 as low as possible.

We are looking forward to engaging in discussion with you about how to solve the climate crisis.