Project on Greenhouse Gases

7/28/2019 Project on Greenhouse Gases

1/21

2012

INDIAN INSTITUTE OFTECHNOLOGY

Greenhouse Gases

A

GROUP NAME: -

1) RUSHIL NAGDA

2) HARSH ANURAG

3) RISHIKA SINHA

4) KAPIL GAUTAM


2/21

INTRODUCTIONGreenhouse Gases

The greenhouse effect

The greenhouse effect is a key component of the climate system

Human activity, the main cause of rising atmospheric concentrations o

greenhouse gases

Currently, human activity is responsible for about 30 Gt/year of

CO2-equivalent emissions some from agriculture, livestock, and

deforestation, but most from the combustion of fossil fuels. The

planets capacity to absorb those emissions appears limited to about

half of the total quantity, absorbed mainly by the oceans. Although the

surplus emissions account for a mere 2% of the exchanges that take

place between atmosphere, oceans and plants, the gases build up in

the atmosphere, where they may remain for several decades and in

some cases, even centuries.

The Earths surface absorbs approximately 50% of the radiant energy

emitted by the Sun, then reflects that energy in the form of heat

infrared radiation a portion of which is absorbed by the clouds and

certain atmospheric gases. Together, clouds and gases act as a lid

that re-emits the thermal energy back toward the Earth, heating the

lower atmosphere. Although it involves a mere 1% of atmospheric


3/21

gases (by mass), this process (known as the greenhouse effect)

ensures that the temperature at the Earths surface is held relatively

stable at a level necessary to the presence of water in the liquid state:

15C (rather than -18C). Keeping it in balance is therefore vital. In

terms of quantity, water vapor is the most prevalent greenhouse gas

(GHG) and is responsible for nearly 60% of the greenhouse effect.

Other gases present in the atmosphere in trace quantities play an

important role because of the intensity of their greenhouse effect. This

is especially true of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous

oxide (N2O), but ozone (O3) and man-made gases such as fluorinated

hydrocarbons (CFC, HFC) also play a part. The greater the gass

tendency to absorb infrared radiation and the longer its residence time

in the atmosphere, the more it contributes to the greenhouse effect.

For example, the global warming potential of methane is twenty-one

times greater than that of carbon dioxide

.


4/21

Human activity, the main cause of rising atmospheric

concentrations of greenhouse gases

Currently, human activity is responsible for about 30 Gt/year of CO 2-

equivalent emissions some from agriculture, livestock, and

deforestation, but most from the combustion of fossil fuels. The

planets capacity to absorb those emissions appears limited to about

half of the total quantity, absorbed mainly by the oceans. Although the

surplus emissions account for a mere 2% of the exchanges that take

place between atmosphere, oceans and plants, the gases build up in

the atmosphere, where they may remain for several decades and in

some cases, even centuries.

Emissions from human activity are very probably the cause of

observable manifestations of climate change, and have the potential to


5/21

create long-term climate disruption1. Due to worldwide economic

growth, particularly in newly industrialized countries, greenhouse gas

emissions could rise by nearly 50% by 2030. Estimates indicate that

the emissions from developing countries, primarily China and India,

will soon exceed those of Europe and North America. It is therefore

imperative to find ways to unbundled economic growth from

greenhouse gas emissions, in both developing and OECD countries.

But revamping our energy infrastructure will take several decades

which means now is the time to act.

Climate change

Atmospheric concentrations of GHG are rising steadily


6/21

Observations show that the atmospheric concentration of CO2 has

risen from an average 280 ppm (parts per million) over the last

century to 380 ppm in 2006 (in other words, 380 molecules of CO2 for

every million molecules of air), and continues to rise by 1 to 3 ppm per

year. For many scientists, the fact that such a rate of increase is

unparalleled in the last 650,000 years no longer leaves any room for

doubt as to the essentially man-made causes of the increase.

Meanwhile, records show that the average global temperature has

risen by about 0.8C since 1850.

Of course, the Earth has undergone climate change of much greater

magnitude at other times in its history, but such changes always

occurred over a longer time span. Indeed, for the past 12,000 years,


7/21

the Earths climate has been remarkably stable, a factor that helped

human societies to emerge and flourish. The rate and accelerating

pace of current changes thus appear to be without precedent.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACTS

There is broad consensus within the scientific community that human

activity is changing the Earths climate through increasing

concentrations of greenhouse gases primarily carbon dioxide (CO2),

methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)

in the atmosphere.


8/21

Greenhouse gases are a key element of the earths atmosphere

because they trap energy from the sun, creating a natural

greenhouse effect, as seen above in Figure 1 Without this effect,

temperatures would be much lower than they are now, and life as

known today would not be possible. This natural balance o

greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, however, is being disturbed by

human activities such as industrial processes, fossil fuel combustion,

and changes in land useactions that release large amounts of certain

greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. This increase in greenhouse

gas concentration traps additional energy in the lower atmosphere,

thus warming it beyond its normal temperature.

Industrial activity has contributed to a 30 percent increase in the

global CO2 level since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution

through the combustion of fossil fuels for energy. Other anthropogenic


9/21

contributions of greenhouse gases include the clearing of forests for

development

decomposition

and

of

agriculture,

solid

methane

and

production

the

from the

ofwaste, manufacturing

chlorofluorocarbons. The term global climate change refers to the

destabilizing impact on climate and weather patterns that result from

continuous addition of these gases, the resultant increase in heat

energy in the earths atmosphere, and the associated changes that

follow.

Even small changes in the average temperatures can be accompanied

by an increase in severe weather events such as storms and droughts,

ecosystem change, loss of animal and plant species, stresses to

human health, and alterations in regional agricultural productivity.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate the correlation between increased

atmospheric CO2 concentrations and global average temperature since

1860.

Although climate change is a global issue, the effects of rapidly rising

temperatures will be felt in every local community. Average

temperatures in New York State are projected to increase by between

2F and 8F by 2100, with the largest increases in the coastal regions

such as New York City.4 Average precipitation is also expected to rise

by 10 to 20 percent, with extreme wet and snowy days becoming


10/21

more frequent.5 Intense weather trends will be felt on the opposite

end of the temperature spectrum, as the occurrence of summer days

with temperatures above 90F are expected to multiply from 14 days

in 1997-1998 to 40-89 days by the 2080s.6 Climate change will impact

human health, coastal areas, water supplies, agriculture, ecosystems,

demand for energy, and infrastructure. The potential impacts of

climate change to New York City are summarized as follows:

Public Health and Air Quality

Higher temperatures and increased frequency of heat waves may

increase the number of heat-related deaths and the incidence o

heat-related illnesses, particularly among the elderly and poor.

Higher temperatures may expand the habitat and infectivity of

disease-carrying insects (mosquitoes and ticks), increasing the

risk to humans.

As a heavily populated urban area, New York City is particularly

vulnerable to the effects of ground-level ozone, a major


11/21

precursor to smog. Ozone is produced when higher temperatures

and strong sunlight react with hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides

(NOx), worsening air pollution and potentially exacerbating

respiratory illnesses such as asthma.


12/21

Even as it pursues the growth of its activities,

Total is determined to contribute to the global

drive to combat climate change. The Group

situates its efforts for the long term within the

spirit of the Kyoto Protocol and will pursue

actions already undertaken to meet its

voluntary goals for controlling its greenhouse

gas emissions.

Total made a commitment to control its GHG emissions and has taken

numerous initiatives to bring it closer to this goal. These initiatives

focus on four objectives:

Improving the reliability of emissions data in terms of inventory,

reporting and external verification;

Controlling the GHG emissions generated by Group facilities;

Enhancing the energy efficiency of Total products and processes

through:- programs to improve energy efficiency3 in the various

branches of the Group, - actions offering broad scope for


13/21

improvement, such as stepping up the efforts of the Exploration &

Production branch to reduce the flaring4 of associated gases at all

operated sites by 50% by 2012; - products that emit less greenhouse

gas over their life cycle (new motor fuels such as Excellium, energy-

efficient lubricants and engineered materials) and innovative services

to curb energy consumption (e.g., the Solutions Eco-Dclic

energy-saving offering by Totalgaz);

Preparing the future of energy (see opposite). Total is also involved in

the efforts of the international scientific community to gain better

understanding of climate change phenomena. In particular, the Group

is backing the expedition to the North Pole by the Total Pole Airship to

be led by Jean-Louis Etienne in spring 2008. The measurements of the

Arctic ice pack to be taken during the mission will provide a new

benchmark, to be used in future assessments of the climate impact of

human activities.

European carbon market

The first phase of the system applies to 39 of the Groups industrial

sites. In organizational terms, each branch has one or more industrial

counters that coordinate the operational aspects related to the


14/21

obligations of each entity and assess their options in the event of

emissions surpluses or shortfalls compared to allocated quotas. A

trading entity at Group level acts as an expert with respect to the

trading system, while a coordination committee optimizes the

management of the system as a whole.

Participation in the definition of voluntary

agreements in France and the European Union

As a member of Aeres, an association of businesses working to reduce

the greenhouse effect, Totals Refining and Chemicals branches as well

as 34 other companies took part in the development of the French

system of voluntary commitments to curb GHG emissions. The

companies voluntary commitments are confined to installations in

France and target the six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto

Protocol for the period 2003-2007 (compared to the reference year,

1990).


15/21

Clean Development Mechanism

The Groups projects in non-OECD countries incorporate the

Clean Development Mechanism.

Participation in future energy transitions

To prepare the longer-term energy future, Total is developing research

programs that focus on new industrial equipment and processes

characterized by lower emissions. It is also working to develop

renewable energies (essentially biomass energy and solar power) and

hydrogen/fuel-cell technology5. Finally, Total contributes actively to

the emergence of other new technologies such as CO2 capture and

geological storage6, particularly through its key role in developing a


16/21

demonstration pilot for an integrated CO2 capture and storage

installation in the Lacq region (France).

The Kyoto mechanisms

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

(UNFCCC) and the ensuing Kyoto Protocol form the international legal

framework and first steps toward addressing the long-term problem of

climate change. The Protocol lays down greenhouse gas emissions

reduction targets for the period 2008-2012, applicable only to

industrialized countries, and sets out so-called flexibility mechanisms

for attaining those objectives, with rules for monitoring.

To meet those goals, the Protocol thus provides three mechanisms to

be implemented in addition to measures at the national level:

Emissions trading among signatory parties

Clean development mechanisms (CDM) between industrialized

Countries (so-called Annex 1 Parties) and non-Annex 1 Parties,

to promote the transfer of the most effective emissions reduction

technologies in line with sustainable development


17/21

Joint implementation projects (JI) among Annex 1 Parties.

The first international carbon emissions market

The European Union Emission Trading Scheme, which creates a market

for the CO2 emissions quotas allocated to industrial sectors relevant to

the major emitters, has been in operation since January 1, 2005

(Directive 2003/87/EC). The Scheme helps the EU control its emissions

in order get a head start on its targets under the Kyoto Protocol for

2008-2012. The initial phase of implementation of the ETS thus covers

a three-year period from 2005 to 2007 and concerns only those CO2

emissions from a limited number of industrial sectors in EU-27,

representing a total of about 11,500 installations. Each Member State

issues an allowance to emit CO2 and allocates a certain number of

emissions quotas (EUAs) to individual industrial installations. Each

year, the operator of each installation must return the number of

quotas that corresponds to the reported and verified emissions from

his installation.

The allocated quantities of CO2 are capped and published in the

National Allocation Plans. Enterprises may choose to invest in

emissions-reduction technologies and actions, or purchase any missing


18/21

quotas on the market, at market price. To ensure the reliability of the

system, the European Commission has adopted:

GHG emissions Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV)

guidelines involving third-party verifications of the emissions

reported by each installation,

Rules for harmonized EU-wide implementation of the national

registries for recording the issuance, transfer and return of

quotas. A harmonization and an extension of the scope of

application are planned for the second period (2008-2012).

Kyoto Protocol Ratification status


19/21

The significance of climate change

Today, the entire scientific community agrees that climate change,

particularly the rise in global temperatures observed since 1850, is

primarily related to human activity. Naturally, uncertainties remain,

and todays models, despite their increasing sophistication, have not

yet provided a full explanation for natural fluctuations over brief time

spans (from a decade to a century), or for the complex linkages

between cloud cover and aerosols.


20/21

Similarly, it is still difficult to predict future climate changes because of

the extreme complexity, and insufficient understanding, of the

mechanisms of climate regulation (such as ocean absorption of CO2,

the impact of aerosols, etc.). However, the development of more

sophisticated models and more powerful computers, coupled with a

growing number of simulation studies, are shedding more light on the

range of possible scenarios and the impacts of climate phenomena on

a more regional scale.

Foreseeable consequences of global warming

The Earth could warm by as much as 1.1 to 6.4C by 2100, as sea

levels rise by 18 to 59 centimeters2. The rise in temperature is likely

to trigger more marked hydrological contrasts more acute droughts

and more severe flood events.

Ultimately, the very stability of the climate system could be

jeopardized. Climate changes manifest at the regional level would

have varying social and ecological consequences depending on the

geographical location and adaptive capacity of the region.

CONCLUSION


21/21

Date post:	03-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	rishika-sinha
View:	219 times
Download:	0 times

Project on Greenhouse Gases

Documents