Focus:
§ Energy that U.S. gets from ME: oil
§ Environmental impacts of U.S. oil use: consumption (global warming), production and transport (oil spills), indirect political effects
§ Substitutes for oil in its most widespread application: passenger vehicles
U.S. Consumption of oil:
§ U.S. uses 25% world’s oil consumption with 5 percent of population (WRI, 2002)
§ U.S. has only 3 percent of known reserves (WRI, 2002)
§ U.S. consumed nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day in 2000 (U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Monthly Energy Review, October 2001, Table 1.8.)
§ U.S. spends $106 billion annually (2000)--$380 per person--on imported oil (NRDC, Dangerous Addiction, 2002)
§ Most oil consumed in U.S. is within transportation sector: gasoline, jet fuels, etc. (U.S. EIA, 2001 stats.) 42% of U.S. oil consumption goes to gasoline for passenger vehicles
U.S. and ME oil:
§ ME 2/3 world’s known oil reserves. (Lovins 2002b)
§ U.S. gets 13% of oil from 7 Persian Gulf countries (DOE-EIA 2001) 16% of U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia; 25% from Persian Gulf (NRDC, 2002)
§ U.S. oil consumption increased by 12% since 1973, year of Arab embargo (WRI, 2002)
Environmental
impacts of oil:
§ CO2 is most important greenhouse gas: half today, rising to ¾ by 2100 (WWI, 2002)
§ U.S. is world’s leading source (24%) of carbon emissions, more than double the next highest emitter (China). Highest per capita (5 tons).
§ Cars and trucks are second largest U.S. source of carbon emissions, 1.1 billion metric tons of CO2 in 2000. 20% of national total, exceeded by emissions from coal and natural gas power plants. (NRDC, 2002)
§ Carbon emissions directly attributable to U.S. cars and trucks exceed the total national CO2 emissions from all but 3 countries. Does not include refinery emissions (NRDC, 2002)
§ Average fuel efficiency of U.S. fleet is lowest in more than 20 years, and declining.
Science of global warming:
§ Widespread observations of decreasing snow cover and ice,
§ rise in sea level 0.1-0.2 meters during 20th century.
§ 1990s warmest decade, 1998 warmest year since instrumental recordkeeping began in 1860s. Global average surface temp rose more during 20th century than in previous 1000 years.
§ CO2 levels increased by 31% since 1750, mostly in last 50 years. Highest in last 420,000 years, probably last 20 million years. (from U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001 assessment)
§ Most of warming over past 50 years due to human activities (IPCC, 2001)
§ About ¾ of human-caused carbon emissions of past 20 years due to burning of fossil fuels (IPCC, 2001)
§ Sea levels projected to rise 9-88 cm (3-30 inches) by 2100
§ Global average temps expected to rise by 2100 by 1.4-5.8 degrees celsius (2.5-10.4 F)
§ Climate change will persist for many centuries even after greenhouse gas emissions are stabilized.
Potential Consequences:
§ Ecosystems at particular risk of irreversible damage: coral reefs, mangroves, boreal and tropical forests, prairie wetlands, and remnant grasslands.
§ Increase risk of extinction, loss of local populations and species, erosion of biodiversity
§ Increase in climate extremes: droughts, floods, heat waves, avalanches, windstorms
§ Reduction in crop yields in most tropical and subtropical regions
§ Decreased water availability for many water-scarce regions, esp in subtropics
§ Spread of vector and water borne diseases, e.g. malaria and cholera (West Nile?)
§ Increase heat stress and related mortality
§ Widespread increase in risk of flooding due to increased precip and rising sea levels
Potential for largescale, irreversible impacts:
§ slowing of ocean circulation system thereby reducing warming over parts of Europe;
§ major reductions in Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets leading to global sea level increase of up to 10 feet over next 1000 years, thereby submerging many islands and coastal areas.
Habitat Fragmentation (production, distribution,
consumption)
§ Extinction rates 1000 times background “natural” rates (Worldwatch)
§ 1 in 4 vertebrate species currently facing extinction worldwide
§ Habitat loss is leading cause of loss of biodiversity
§ Humans use 40% of available photosynthetic energy
§ Oil producing areas are industrialized dense web of roads, drill pads, power lines, waste pits, processing facilities, pipelines.
§ Southeastern NM
§ Disruption to wildlife--ANWR
§ Vehicle emissions: oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, fine particulates
§ Nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons combine to form smog (Union of Concerned Scientists)
§ Nitrogen oxides is a constituent of acid rain, which harms aquatic life and crops, and erodes buildings
§ Nitrogen oxides irritate lungs, cause bronchitis, pneumonia, decreased resistance to respiratory infections
§ Every year, some 64,000 people may die prematurely from cardiopulmonary causes linked to particulate air pollution, according to an analysis conducted by NRDC (1996)
§ Upstream emissions from refineries and distribution system: 848,000 tons of smog forming chemicals and toxic air pollutants, carcinogenic equivalent to 392,000 tons of benzene
§ 80 % of refineries in violation of Clean Air Act, according to EPA and DOJ 2001 (NRDC, 2002) Nearly half refineries are located near low income minority communities along 260-mile from Louisiana to Houston
§ U..S. uses 250 billion gallons of oil and petroleum products each year
§ Huge potential for spillage at production, distribution and consumption process
§ Almost 1.5 million gallons spilled into U.S. waters in 2000 (NRDC, 2002)
§ During the last decade, more than one billion gallons of oil spilled worldwide.
§ Valdez was 34th largest spill
§ Oil spills account for only about five percent of the oil entering the oceans.
§ Estimated 6 million tons of petroleum products end up in oceans each year (NASA, website) Seagoing tankers carry 60% of all oil extracted. The oceanic pollution is caused when these ships flush their tanks with seawater. A smaller percentage comes from passenger ships and freighters draining water ballast from their fuel tanks (Monin and Krasitskiy, 1985).
§ The greatest volume of petroleum products dumped into the ocean is carried there by rivers. It represents more than triple the quantity coming from all tankers and other ships. Oil and other petroleum products are discharged into rivers and the ocean by many industrial enterprises, including oil refineries and oil storage installations, The quantity of petroleum products dumped each year into the sewage network by gasoline stations twice exceeds the amount resulting from ship disasters.
Potential impacts of oil in freshwater and marine
environments:
§ Affects every level of the food chain. Floating oil may contaminate plankton, fish eggs, and the larvae of various invertebrates such as oysters and shrimp. In turn, the small fish that feed on these organisms can become contaminated. Larger animals in the food chain, including bigger fish, birds, bears, and humans may then eat these contaminated fish. Thus, predators that consume contaminated prey can be exposed to oil through ingestion.
§ Spilled oil may prevent the germination and growth of marine plants and the reproduction of invertebrates either by smothering or by toxic effects.
§ Physical contact - matting causes fur and feathers to lose their insulating properties, placing animals at risk of freezing to death, and drowning increases for birds.
§ Toxic contamination - Oil vapors can cause damage to an animal's central nervous system, liver, and lungs. Animals are also at risk from ingesting oil, which can reduce the animal's ability to eat or digest its food by damaging cells in the intestinal tract. Some studies show that there can be long-term reproductive problems in animals that have been exposed to oil.
§ Destruction of food resources --Predators that consume contaminated prey can be exposed to oil through ingestion. unpleasant tastes and smells, predators will sometimes refuse to eat their prey and may begin to starve. Sometimes, a local population of prey organisms is destroyed, leaving no food resources for predators
§ Kharg Island spill in the Persian Gulf, the flow into the sea has been nearly continuous since 1982. As a result, an entire fishing industry has been destroyed, complete populations of some fish species are now extinct in that habitat, and desalination plants have become inoperative. It is unlikely that the Persian Gulf waters will return to normal in this century
Fuel additives:
§ MTBE, lead, EDB, methyl bromide, MMT—gasoline additives
§ The average person carries blood lead levels 500-1000 times greater than preindustrial times (WW2002)
§ Great deal of money at stake in the business of getting and selling oil.
§ 7 of 12 largest corporations (1997) are tied to fossil fuel use: automobile makers, energy, or electric power companies
§ 5 of worlds’ wealthiest individuals are sheiks, sultans or princes who have profited from oil (WW1999)
§ Concentrated political power
§ Democracies: campaign contributions, political ads, ability to influence decisions (Bush Energy Plan), prevent progress to address environmental problems tied to fossil fuel use
§ Oil exporting nations: oil provides revenues to support pro-oil dictatorships, suppression of political dissent, often with support of oil consuming nations such as U.S.
§ Correlation between oil reserves and freedom: 4 of 5 largest ME producing countries are considered “not free”: UAE, Iran, Iraq, SA (Earth Island Journal Spring 2002, citing Freedom House)
§ Other oil dictatorships: Equatorial Guinea, Syria, China, Turkmenistan, Sudan, Libya, Myanmar, Indonesia
§ Alignment of power, wealth leads to persecution of environmental activists who represent threats to oil production:
§ Ken Saro-Wiwa – 1995 Nigerian poet, writer, and the leader of a minority ethnic group called the Ogoni - was hanged by the Nigerian government for a trumped up crime. His real crime was standing up to Shell Oil and the Nigerian government against the environmental destruction caused by Shell's oil drilling in the Niger River delta region. Continues, with Chevron also.
§ Chad/Cameroon/Exxon pipeline: In June 2000, the World Bank agreed to help finance a controversial oil pipeline project that would run from the oil fields in Doba in southern Chad to the coast of Cameroon. The construction of the pipeline threatens the rainforests of Cameroon and farming land in Chad. The Chadian government has been criticized for systematic harassment and detention of local activists, journalists, and elected officials critical of the project. Money from the oil consortium, originally slated for development projects such as schools and hospitals, has been diverted for weapons purchases.
§ Burma's military regime has overseen a brutal counter-insurgency movement that encourages the illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of ethnic minorities and political dissidents. Forced labor and relocation are other tactics used by the government to force unwilling civilians into submission. The construction of the Yadana pipeline through Burma – financed by U.S.-based oil company Unocal and French oil company Total/Elfina – has raised concerns about the human rights and environmental impacts of the project.
§ Ecuadorian amazon: oil since 1972, Texaco, ARCO, indigenous people, documented human rights abuses by security forces, torture, murder, disappearances
§ Blurring of lines between private and governmental security forces
Less oil.
§ Do the same tasks with greater efficiency.
§ “There is no cheaper, cleaner power than power you don’t have to produce.”
§ Right now, average fuel economy of cars and light trucks is lowest it’s been in 22 years and going down.
§ Between 1979-1985, GDP grew 16 percent, oil consumption dropped 15 percent, Gulf imports dropped 87 percent. Trend stopped with Reagan’s rollback of car and light truck fuel efficiency standards.
§ A 2.7 mpg gain in fuel economy could displace Persian gulf imports entirely.
§ National Acad Sciences (2001): potential fuel savings equals 1/5 for small cars to 1/3 for mid-size SUVs to ½ for big pickup trucks, without sacrificing safety, performance or affordability.
§ Better replacement tires could save 3 percent
§ Toyota Prius: hybrid electric, 5 seater, 48 mpg
§ Honda CRX: hybrid, 64 mpg
§ Ford, DaimlerChrysler, GM: testing family sedans 72-80 mpg
§ VW sells European 78 mpg, 4-seater nonhybrid
§ Biomass ethanol
§ Renewable, made from crop wastes
§ Promising, verge of commercial
§ Reduces VOC emissions 85-95 percent (EPA)
§ Reduces CO by 30-90 percent
§ Get the carbon out of hydrocarbons.
§ Use pure hydrogen in fuel cells: combine hydrogen and oxygen to form electricity and hot water.
§ Fuel cells are most efficient, clean and reliable known source of electricity (Lovins, 2)
§ Hundreds of U.S. buildings already powered by fuel cells. Experimental cars on the road. Buses on the market.
§ Future: fuel cell cars parked: buy surplus hydrogen from buildings, sell surplus electricity
§ Bill Ford (Ford Motor Co. CEO): hydrogen will put an end to 100-year reign of internal combustion engine
§ Decentralized wind and solar farms to produce electricity to electrolyze water to produce water
§ Tailpipe emissions eliminated
§ Global warming gases reduced 40-60 percent per mile traveled (if produced from natural gas) (NRDC, 2002)
§ Reduced 94 percent (if produced from renewable sources, i.e. biomass or wind or solar)
Nuclear:
§ Accidental releases of radioactive material, normal and catastrophic
§ Long-term safeguarding of nuclear fuel and waste
§ Radiation poisoning of uranium miners
Hydropower:
§ dams, reservoirs, aquatic ecosystems
§ block fish passage
§ change flow regime and reduce flooding,
§ change water temperatures, sediment loads, channel characteristics
§ Encourage floodplain development
Biomass fuels:
§ Conversion of habitat or ag land to monocultures
§ Nitrogen oxide emissions not reduced
§ Possible increase emission of formaldehyde etc.
Wind:
§
Land
requirements (overstated), road and pad construction, noise, visual impacts,
bird deaths
Solar PV:
§ Production is energy intensive (but still favorable energy balance if fossil fuels used), involves hazardous chemicals, batteries
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