LECTURE 7

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

 ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
TYPES OF DEGRADATION

LAND & SOIL DEGRADATION Poor farming practices, excessive fertilizers, overgrazing, quarrying, pollution

WATER DEGRADATION Runoff from agricultural land, industrial waste discharge, oil spills

ATMOSPHERIC DEGRADATION Burning of fossil fuels, wildfires, open burning of garbage

CAUSES OF DEGRADATION EFFECTS OF DEGRADATION

• Impact on human health

Landslides, • Loss of biodiversity
NATURAL Deforestation, urbanization,
earthquakes, • Ozone layer depletion
tsunamis, hurricanes ANTHROPOGENIC increased energy use,
population growth
• Global warming and climate change
• Economic impact
1. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
 1.1 ACID RAIN
• Types : Dry, wet deposition

• Direct effects:
a) Thinning of trees

b) Death of fish (Al ions)

c) Nutrient leaching from soil (K, Ca, Mg)

d) Geologic effects

(Marble, mica -buildings, statues affected)

e) Health problems

(respiratory, burning of skin and eyes)

The white marbles of the Taj Mahal
have been stained and fading over the
years.
 1.2 OZONE LAYER DEPLETION

• Ozone Depletion
➢ Cl, Br atoms
1 Cl atom destroys 10,000 to 100,000 O3 molecules
➢ Main problem : CFCs used in refrigerators, ACs
before removed from stratosphere
 1.2 OZONE
LAYER
DEPLETION
• Effects of ozone depletion

➢ Human and animal health

➢ Affects early development of

aquatic species

➢ Deterioration of air quality

1.3 GLOBAL WARMING
GREENHOUSE EFFECT:

• Earth’s atmosphere allows the incoming short-

wave radiations from the sun

• Long-wave IR radiation emitted from Earth is

partially trapped and remitted back to Earth by
greenhouse gases

What would have been the temperature on

Earth in the absence of greenhouse effect?
GREENHOUSE GASES
• CO2 : fossil fuel combustion

• CH4: wetlands, decomposition of organic matter

•N2O: Fertilizer, manure, biomass combustion

• CFC: refrigerants, cleaning solvents

• Perflurocarbons: Al production, semiconductor

manufacture

•SF6: insulation, semiconductor industry, electrical

power transmission equipment
GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL (GWP)
For each greenhouse gas, the amount of time they reside in
atmosphere and the amount of heat they trap varies.

• The potential impact of greenhouse gases are rated based on

GWP

• GWP=Ratio of global warming from one unit mass of a

greenhouse gas to that of one unit mass of CO2 over a period of
time

• GWP depends on absorption strength of molecule and

atmospheric lifetime
2. INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO
PREVENT CLIMATE CHANGE
 2.1 KYOTO PROTOCOL
• World’s first international agreement formulated to slow down
climate change

• Adopted on 11th December 1997 in Japan (Kyoto), came into

force on 16th February 2005

• Fix targets for emission reduction

• Agreeing countries should meet their set targets through national

policies and measures
 MECHANISMS
3 market-based mechanisms to meet target requirements

1) INTERNATIONAL EMISSIONS TRADING

Allows countries that have crossed their emission reduction commitments, to spare the unused emissions
permitted to them to nations that have exceeded their targets.

2) CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM

Investment in emission reduction or removal enhancement projects in developing countries that contribute to their
sustainable development

3) JOINT IMPLEMENTATION

Enables developed countries to carry out emission reduction or removal enhancement projects in other developed
countries.
 2.2 PARIS AGREEMENT
• Adopted on December 12, 2015 (196 countries)

• Primary aim - keep the worldwide temperature rise for

the next 100 years below 2 °C

• Flexible - allows the member countries to voluntarily

set their targets and they are not required to pay any
penalties.