Dr. Ron Lembke

A Little Bit about the Atmosphere

Sun sends UV? Infrared – show on spectrum

CO2 collects in Troposphere

Ozone O3 layer – absorbs ultraviolet radiation from sun

Van Allen Radiation BeltsMagnetic field of Earth creates radiation belts.These protect us from particles flying at Earth via solar wind (stream of ionized gases at 400 km/sec)

This is Not New

Frank Capra, 1958

Find the Pie chart ~ 30% cooling

Warming vs. Cooling

“The Myth of The 1970s Global Cooling Scientific Consensus,” Thomas C. Peterson, William M. Connelly, and John Fleck, American Meteorological Society, Sept. 2008, p. 1235

In the US, it’s a political issue, so there must be two sides?

CO2280 ppm for human historyLast 250 years up to 384 ppm – where we are

nowMilankovich Cycles (pp 117-8):

Earth’s orbit not circular, 100,000 year cycleTilted axis shifts: 40,000 year cyclePlane of orbit relative to sun: 21,000 year cycleSeems unlikely

Global Weirding

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Atmospheric CO2 ppm Mauna Loa Observatory

Data: National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationGraph: Ron Lembke, 1/12/2010

3.2 billion metric tons of carbon added to atmosphere annually from human activities

Carbon Cycle

Agriculture represents 25%Cars and transport?

Sources of GHG

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggccebro/chapter1.html

Increased emissions fromBoth industrial and developingworld

Carbon Intensity by Region, 2001-2025(Metric Tons of Carbon Equivalent per Million $1997)

We’re at 384 ppm450 ppm would be 2°C increase550 ppm would lead to 3° C increase

Used to be targetPests not killed by freezesIce sheets melting faster than predictedOceans more acidic than thought

350? Really hard

Climate Models

Methane = 23x CO2CO2 lasts for thousands of years

GreenHouse Gasses

1. Yes, I think the globe has warmed a bit! Approximately 0.74 degree Celsius (+/- 0.18 degree) in the past 100 years.

Yes, I think that man might be responsible for some part of that warming, although I’m not 100 percent convinced of how much

The cost of generating power from wind has dropped by 60 percent since 1990, and power from the first solar cells in satellites is now 98.7 cheaper than when it was introduced.

These technologies will be adopted by the world when - and only when-- they make economic sense, not when we have to depend on countries like Russia and China to be virtuous. Sure, our government can help in the form of tax breaks and incentives, but capitalism is already well on its way to solving this problem itself.

Same Guy?

Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats. We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can't afford the risk of inaction.

We must transform the way we use energy, and of course not only because of climate change...

When I look around the world today, I see continued dependence on oil from vulnerable regions... and oil money going to leaders of countries hostile to us. Then there's accelerating development in China, India and other developing economies that are reliant on fossil fuels.

Rupert Murdoch

News Corp. owns Fox.“Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats”

and that “We may not agree on the extent, but we certainly can’t afford the risk of inaction.”Rupert Murdoch, May 9, 2007

James Murdoch, heir apparent“Thanks to friendships with Al Gore and Bill Clinton,

he has developed deep green instincts,” London Telegraph

Wife Kathryn Hufschmid works for Clinton Climate Initiative

Rupert Murdoch

Asked if climate change was a current or imminent threat, 83% of Britons agreed, with just 14% saying global warming poses no threat. Compared with August 2009, when the same question was asked, opinion remained steady

An analysis of those who think climate change poses no threat reveals them to be predominantly men (70%) and about twice as likely to be over 65 and to have voted Conservative in 2010 than the general population.

In 2007, the UN's science panel collated the work of thousands of scientists to conclude that the link between the emission of greenhouse gases by human activities and climate change was 90% certain.

GE – Frank Mantero, Director Corporate Citizenship ProgramsAudited, like financial statements40% of value based on reputationIt’s not “giving” back – it’s a

partnershipWal-Mart

Sustainable Supply Chain“We’re making money at this”

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Reporting