Posted by: Jessica Hughes | August 19, 2008
Climate Change and Health
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: Climate Change, Health
Posted by: Ann Glidden | August 14, 2008
Oregon and Washington Coastal Erosion
http://www.surfrider.org/stateofthebeach/home.asp
This article attributes coastal erosion to the following factors:
- Sea level rise
- Loss of land supply from damming of rivers, dredging projects, and paving of watersheds
- Geologic changes in the land
WA: At Oregon State University, researchers are predicting that the beach for about six miles north of North Head may erode from anywhere between 100 and 300 meters by 2020. The most at risk erosion areas are located in Southwest Washington–Cape Shoalwater, Grays Harbor South Jetty, Ocean Shores, and Fort Canby State Park. However, less than 1% of the Washington shore is “critically” eroding.
OR: The situation seems more dire in Oregon, although much of Oregon’s erosion is attributed to major storm events. Less than 13% of the Oregon shoreline is “critically” eroding. However, 180 miles of beach (50% of the coastline) is showing some erosion and 120 miles of beach (33% of the coastline) has no sand at high tide.
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: Coasts
Posted by: Ann Glidden | August 14, 2008
Coastal Hazards
http://www.wcu.edu/coastalhazards/libros/libroschapter1.htm
This study examines the monetary cost of coastal erosion due to storms, sea level changes, and beachfront development. Obviously, the property owner pays for damage to their home, but these disasters affect everyone’s bottom line:
- Erosion effects the local community who pitch in to repair streets and maintain services to those effected directly.
- County and state taxpayer dollars fund cleanup and repairs.
- Federal taxpayers contribute to disaster assistance funding and the national flood insurance program.
- The taxpayer pays for the Army Corps of Engineers who rebuild the beach and construct seawalls.
- As a tourist, the “tourist tax” that you find on your hotel bill, etc goes to maintain seawalls and other erosion control projects.
- Any property or flood insurance premiums cover the cost of coastal property losses.
This study also notes that a major reason for the increase in coastal erosion lies in the fact that the United States populace seems to be migrating toward coastal areas at a rate that far outweighs similar settlement in inlying areas. Areas within five miles of the coast have undergone population growth rates at triple the national average growth rate in the past few decades. This leads coastal communities to develop closer and closer to the shore which increases the risk for further hazards.
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: Coasts
Posted by: Ann Glidden | August 13, 2008
Coastal Erosion in Washington–Westport, Ocean Shores, North Cove
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/swces/overview.htm
www.crcwater.org/issues12/20011130westport.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003883932_washaway14m.html
In 1996, the Southwest Washington Coastal Erosion Initiative was started to assist coastal communities with predicting and planning for changes due to coastal erosion. Their main concerns were threats to private property, public facilities and infrastructure, and economic and natural resources of the coastal community. The study specifically mentions three events that were instrumental in the formation of this program. I have listed them below and have elaborated in some cases:
- Westport: In December of 1993, there was a break at the south jetty of the entrance to Grays Harbor. It jeopardized navigation, a local sewage plant, and a state park. Repairs to the jetty rang in at about $8M. Again in 2001, winter storms eroded 50 additional feet of the same strip of land that attaches the jetty to the state park. Again, the city spent millions of dollars in replacement sand.
- Ocean Shores: In October of 1995, new condos (less than 5 years old) were seriously threatened during a storm that eroded an area of sand that was 30 feet wide and 1000 feet long. The rock barricade, which had to be built immediately, cost condo owners more than $500K.
- North Cove: Since the 1800s, Washaway Beach has been one of the fastest eroding shorelines in the United States, and the fastest on the Pacific Coast. It loses about 65 feet per year to the ocean and has lost more than 100 homes. The entire town of North Cove has disappeared in the last 20 years. $24M has been spend to protect area Highway 105 and $12M is planned to be spent to protect the nearby Shoalwater Bay Indian Reservation.
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: Coasts, Washington
Posted by: Daniel Etra | August 13, 2008
Two Views of Greenhouse Gases
This is a short post that appeared on WorldChanging by Clark Williams-Derry. The entire post is included below. The presentation from Oregon DEQ also has some nice data related to the “Business as Usual” waste predictions for Oregon.
The same data yields two very different pictures of what’s important.
Behold: two very different ways of looking at U.S. climate-warming emissions, thanks to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (pdf presentation here). First, the geeky view, with emissions broken out by the specific activities and economic sectors that directly account for emissions:
In this view, electricity and transportation dominate — suggesting that those are pretty good places to look for emissions reductions.
But here’s another, somewhat more personal view — one that fits our “carbon footprint” into the context of our daily lives.
This chart shows that it is our stuff that carries the biggest carbon footprint. Emissions related to buildings (heating, cooling and lighting) are a close second.
Interestingly, the two charts rely on the exact same underlying numbers. Yet they present completely different perspectives on the best leverage points for reducing GHG emissions. Which view is more helpful to keep in mind, for someone trying to fight climate change? I’m not sure. Perhaps neither — since the real key to curbing climate change isn’t finding where emissions are most abundant, but finding where they are most easily curbed.
That said, as someone who’s used to thinking about the first chart — where electricity and transportation dominate the picture — the second chart comes as something of an eye-opener. How we get around town is certainly a big deal. Yet as harmful as personal vehicles are to the climate, I probably should be paying a bit more attention to my stuff.
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: CO2, Energy, Oregon
Posted by: Jessica Hughes | August 10, 2008
Biofuels
Biofuel Benefits Go Beyond Environment
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/biodiesel.cfm
The Benefits of biodiesel
http://www.forbes.com/2006/04/07/biofuel-benefit-ethanol-cx_0410oxford_print.html
2004 Biodiesel Handling and Use Guidelines
There are two main forms of biofuels: Ethanol and Biodiesel. Ethanol is made from plant feedstock from such sources such as corn, beetroot, sugar beet or cane. Biodiesel is made from vegetable oils, recycled cooking greases, or animal fat. Both Ethanol and Biodiesel can be used as a sole fuel product or they can be combined with gas and diesel to for a blended fuel product. There are many benefits to using alternative fuels, which include climate change reductions, renewability, security of supply, domestic production, and efficiency.
Climate Change
Alternative fuels have been proven to lower green house gases (GHG), depending on the blend and exact product, due to the fact that they are cleaner than traditional fuels. As crops grow, they absorb CO2 until they are harvested, which offsets later low emissions. One study showed that once turned into a fuel, B100 (100% biodiesel) can reduce the lifecycle of CO2 by 78% and B20 can reduce it by 15.66%. Ethanol has shown to reduce CO2 at a slightly lower rate. Biodiesel also reduces tailpipe gases and air toxics because of the percentage of oxygen weight which allows the fuel to burn more completely. By using B100, the air toxics can be reduced by 90%. B100 also eliminates the sulfur that is produced when using traditional diesel, as well as hydrocarbon between 75 to 90%. The manufacturing process to produce biodiesel has also been show to be cleaner that regular diesel production. Lastly, biodiesel is biodegradable, and is considered nontoxic by the EPA.
|
FUEL |
CO2 EMISSIONS (LBS./GALLON) |
|
Biodiesel |
5.84 |
|
Ethanol |
14.60 |
|
Gasoline |
24.30 |
|
Petrodiesel |
26.55 |
Domestic Production and Security of Supply
Most of the biofuels in the US are from domestic sources, which can help with maintaining the supply. Many biofuel consumers feel a sense of pride to support the domestic economy and create domestic jobs. There are new projects in the NW that are supporting the processing of biofuels. A couple of local examples include SeQuential Biofuels and Green Fuels of Oregon; both are involved with Oregon biofuels.
Each year, the country is consuming over 40 billion gallons of diesel fuel. Shifting to domestically produced biofuels can help with dependence of foreign oil and help control the supply.
Efficiency
Both types of alternative fuels are more efficient that traditional fuels; biodiesel produces 3.20 units of energy for every one unit of regular diesel, and ethanol produces 1.34 units to regular gasoline.
|
FUEL |
ENERGY YIELD* |
NET ENERGY (LOSS) OR GAIN |
|
Biodiesel** |
3.20 |
220 percent |
|
Ethanol |
1.34 |
34 percent |
|
Petrodiesel |
.843 |
(15.7 percent) |
|
Gasoline |
.805 |
(19.5 percent) |
* expressed in Btus per Btu of fossil fuel energy consumed over its life-cycle
** A WorldWatch study, released in June, found an even greater energy yield for biodiesel produced from waste vegetable oil only, averaging between 5 and 6 Btus per Btu of fossil fuel.
The following is a list of the top five most fuel-efficient diesel vehicles of 2006:
|
CAR |
CITY mpg |
HWY mpg |
|
Volkswagen Golf Coupe/Hatchback |
37 |
44 |
|
Volkswagen New Beetle |
37 |
44 |
|
Volkswagen Jetta |
35 |
42 |
|
Mercedes Benz E-Class Sedan/Wagon |
27 |
37 |
|
Chrysler Jeep Liberty SUV |
22 |
26 |
Essentially, biofuels are an ideals transition between the petroleum dependence of the current system and the next solution to global energy needs. Ultimately, the next global energy source will most likely be from a source currently unidentified, at least as a source for mass energy. Until then, biofuels provide a renewable, low impact transition fuel for the 21st century.
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: Energy CO2, Solutions
Posted by: Ann Glidden | August 10, 2008
Global Sea Level Predictions
www.cses.washington.edu/db/pdf/moteetalslr579.pdf
This report, published by the Climate Impacts Group, offers some explanation of current sea level projections through 2050. The following charts show some predictions of global sea level, based on current rates of change:
Posted in Quantitative Data | Tags: Coasts
Posted by: Ann Glidden | August 10, 2008
Oregon Coastal Erosion Photos
egov.oregon.gov/LCD/OCMP/docs/General/Allan_Workshop_030907.pdf
This slideshow contains some interesting photographs of the effects of coastal erosion on the shoreline at various Oregon beaches. This erosion can be attributed to the rising incidence of heavy storms, the rising level of the ocean due to climate change, and the effects of building in coastal areas.
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: Coasts, Oregon
Posted by: Ann Glidden | August 9, 2008
WCI Details of Cap and Trade Program
www.westernclimateinitiative.org/ewebeditpro/items/O104F13006.pdf
As of 7/23/08, the Western Climate Initiative had posted the above link to the draft of their regional cap and trade program. The goal with cap and trade is to design a program that would be a part of the regional effort to reduce emissions to the 2020 goal. The program covers the greenhouse gases of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride. The following emissions sources will be monitored:
- electricity generation
- industrial and commercial combustion, including oil and gas process emissions
- residential, commercial, and industrial fuel combustion
- transportation fuel combustion from gas and diesel
- emissions from the combustion of biomass or biofuel are not included
The annual emission threshold that would require a company to comply with the obligations of the cap and trade program is 25,000 metric tons of CO2 equivalents. The WCI is currently developing a means to prevent companies from breaking into several separate companies with emissions below this threshold in order to avoid compliance.
Allowances:
Each partner in the WCI will have a budget of GHG emission allowances, which they will then issue within its jurisdiction. A minimum percentage of the value of each partner’s allowance budget can be dedicated to:
- Energy efficiency and renewable energy incentives
- Research, development, demonstrations, and deployment related to emissions
- Promoting emissions reductions in agriculture and forestry
Each partner may also distribute allowance budgets to:
- Reduce consumer impact, in particular those of the low-income consumer
- Worker transition to “green-collar” jobs
- Giving assistance to industries undergoing transition to fewer emissions
- Adaptation to the impacts of climate change
- Rewarding actions to lower emissions
- Promoting economic efficiency
Reporting:
WCI proposes beginning mandatory measurement of these emissions in January 2010 and mandatory reporting of these emissions by early 2011. All gathered data will be available for review by other partners as it is collected.
Posted in Research Report and Documents | Tags: Energy CO2, GHG, legislation, Pacific-Northwest
Posted by: Ann Glidden | August 7, 2008
Western Climate Initiative GHG Goal
http://westernclimateinitiative.org/Science_Studies.cfm
The chart below illustrates the goal of the WCI in terms of emissions by 2020 in relation to projected figures for the same time period.
Posted in Quantitative Data | Tags: GHG, legislation
