CLIMATE CHANGE,

ENERGY CRISIS,
AND ENVIRONMENTAL
AWARENESS
 This course is divided into seventeen major parts which
are the following:
 Climate Change as a Result of Global Warming
 Earth's Natural Greenhouse Effect
 Enhanced Greenhouse Effect
 Greenhouse Gases
 Sources of Greenhouse Gases
 Global Warming is Changing the Earth
 Projected Health Impacts of Climate Change
 Managing the Effects of Global Warming
 Carbon Footprint Computation
 Ways to Reduce Global Warming and Climate Change
 Energy Crisis
 Causes of the Energy Crisis
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Alternative Energy
Sources
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion Basics
 Types of Otec Systems
 Advantages and Disadvantages of Otec Technology
 Environmental Awareness
LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. recognize the causes and effects of climate change;
2. describe the present energy crisis and alternative energy
resources; and
3. demonstrate awareness in the current environmental
issues.
 CLIMATE CHANGE AS A RESULT OF GLOBAL WARMING

 Continuous dependence of people on fossil fuels as source of energy

has resulted to the increased concentration of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere.
 The NASA Earth Observatory defined Global Warming as the
unusually rapid increase in the Earth's average temperature.
 Humanity has greatly forced the changes of the Earth's natural
climate.
 As reported by the UCSUSA Organization, an increase of 1.5
degrees Fahrenheit of the average temperature of the earth over the
past 130 years.
Majority of that increase occurred over only these past 35
years.
It was recorded that the hottest year was last 2016.
Since 1998, the 12 warmest years have already occurred
in our planet.
 EARTH'S NATURAL GREENHOUSE EFFECT
 The sun is the principal source of the heat and energy of the
earth.
 30% of it is reflected into the space when the sunlight tries to
reach the earth. These reflections may be due to the clouds or
ice in the atmosphere.
 The land, ocean, and the rest of the atmosphere absorbs the
remaining 70%.
 Our planet is heated due to this absorbed heat.
 Once the earth's surface warms up, thermal infrared radiation or
heat energy will be released in the atmosphere.
 Water vapor, carbon dioxide, and methane present in the
atmosphere will most likely absorb the released heat energy of
the earth.
 The said gases tend to trap the heat on the earth's surface
instead of sending it off to the outer space.
 This enhances the heating that we get from direct sunlight, results
to the natural greenhouse effect on earth.
 Life on earth benefits greatly from the natural greenhouse effect.
 The absence of the greenhouse effect may lead to a very cold
earth.
 The present 15℃ (59ºF) of the earth's average surface will
decline to 18℃ (0ºF).
 This figure show the comparison of the Natural Greenhouse effect from the Human
enhanced Greenhouse effect.
 ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECT
 The primary concern of the scientists is the increasing
concentration of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere.
Mostly this is due to human activities that require burning of fossil
fuels and the vast clearing of land.
 Research showed that since the Industrial Revolution, nearly
38% of the carbon dioxide have increased as of 2009 and 48% of
the methane levels.
 Today's atmosphere has greater concentration of greenhouse
gas molecules than before. This means that more of the infrared
energy released by the earth's surface is trapped in our
atmosphere.
GREENHOUSE GASES
 According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the greenhouse
gases include the following:
1. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) - primarily emitted by burning fossil fuels (coal,
natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and wood products. Removal of CO 2
from the atmosphere is primarily the thru absorption of plants.
2. Methane (CH4) - emissions are from livestock, agricultural practices, and
the decay of organic waste. Production and transport of fossil fuels also
release methane.
3. Nitrous Oxide (N2O) - agricultural and industrial activities and combustion
of fossil fuels and solid waste are the primary source of nitrous oxide.
4. Fluorinated Gases - also known as High Global Warming Potential (GWP)
gases; synthetic powerful greenhouse gases from the emissions of industrial
processes. It includes Hydrofluorocarbons, Perfluorocarbons, Sulfur
hexafluoride and nitrogen Trifluoride.
 SOURCES OF GREENHOUSE GASES
From an annual report given by the EPA. Inventory of US
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, these are the primary
sources of greenhouse gas emissions in USA.
1. Electricity production
- the largest amount of greenhouse gas emissions is from electricity
production.
2. Transportation
- majority of the fuel used by the vehicles are petroleum based
(gasoline and diesel).
3. Industry
- production of goods from raw materials in the factories requires
the use of fossil fuels that leads to emissions of greenhouse gases.
4. Commercial and Residential
- handling wastes and burning fossil fuels are common sources of
greenhouse gases in homes and commercials places like market and
cities.
5. Agriculture
- livestock such as cows and goats, agricultural soils and production
of rice release greenhouse gases.
5. Land use and Forestry
- trees have been the primary absorber of the CO2 in the atmosphere.
Clearing of lands make it difficult to control the increasing
concentration of the top greenhouse gas CO2.
 GLOBAL WARMING IS CHANGING THE EARTH

Impacts of the enhanced global warming have been identified by

various scientists.
• More frequent hot days and fewer cool days
• More intense heat waves
• Worsening storms, floods and droughts
• Intensified Hurricanes
• Warmer ocean surface temperatures
• Rising sea levels
• More frequent coastal flooding
• Island nations may disappear
• Accelerated melting of ice sheets nd glaciers
• Changes in the growing seasons of plants
• Disruption of normal ecosystem
• Loss of animal habitat
• Possible extinction of animals
 PROJECTED HEALTH IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Humans are not excused with the harmful effects of Climate

Change. Here's a list of the possible impacts of climate change to
humankind.
• Increase malnutrition and consequent disorders.
• Increase in the number of people dying and suffering from
disease and injury due to heat waves, floods, storms, fires, and
droughts.
• Continue to change the range of some infectious disease vectors.
• Have mixed effects on malaria
• Increase the burden of diarrheal diseases.
• Increase cardio-respiratory morbidity and mortality associated with
ground-level ozone.
 MANAGING THE EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING

 Ways to manage the effects of Global warming:

 Practical solutions should be started in order to decrease the
carbon emissions, slow down the pace of global warming and
provide a sustainable future to the next generations.
 Reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases into the earth's
atmosphere.
 Reducing our personal carbon emissions every day.
 The leaders of the world must put into actions that can support and
implement laws and regulations that can provide efficient climate
solutions.
 CARBON FOOTPRINT COMPUTATION

 It is usually expressed in equivalent tons of Carbon Dioxide CO 2.

 It calculates the sum of all the produced carbon induced by a
person's energy use.
 Awareness of personal carbon footprints can help reduce energy
consumption leading to minimized carbon emissions production.
 The US Environmental protection Agency has been reported that
since 1970, the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide has
an estimate increase of 36%.
 Based from scientific studies, the increase of CO2 concentration in
the atmosphere originates mostly from human activities.
 Carbon footprint calculators have been developed by the EPA and
non-profit environmental agencies in oredr to calculate individual
carbon contributions.
 Online calculators are also available. In using the calculator,
personal information about vehicle or public transportation usage,
energy used at home, water consumption, food consumption,
goods production and waste management are necessary to get the
computation.
 Minimizing personal energy consumption is the primary way to
reduce carbon footprint.
 Use of public transportation or low-emission vehicles, eergy-
efficient products at home, reusing and recycling are some of the
ways to decrease carbon footprints.
 WAYS TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE

To reduce Global Warming and the alarming climate change, the

people can do their own part by doing the following:
• Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
• Use Less heat and air conditioning.
• Drive less and drive smart.
• Buy energy efficient products.
• Grow your own foods in your backyard.
• Plant trees in your backyard.
• Replace incandescent lights to fluorescents light bulbs.
• Use hybrid or electric cars.
• Encourage others to conserve.
• Support the government projects toward environmental
preservations.
 ENERGY CRISIS

 A sustainable nd reliable source of energy of a country shows its

prosperity and development.
 As stated by the US Energy Information Administration, the primary
energy sources include petroleum,natural gas, coal, renewable
energy, and nuclear electric power.
 Non-renewable
- They do not form or replenish in a short period of time.
- Extracted from the ground in the form of liquids, gases, and solids.
- Liquid petroleum products such as gasoline and diesel fuel are made
out of the crude oil. Butane, ethane, and propane are taken from both
natural gas and crude oil.

 Classification of non-renewable sources:

• Energy sources such as crude oil
• natural gas
• coal
• nuclear energy
 Renewable
- energy sources that replenish naturally in a short period of time.
-Biomass includes wood and wood waste, landfill gas, Biogas, Ethanol,
and biodiesel.
 Classification of renewable sources:
• Solar
• Geothermal
• Hydropower
• Wind
• Biomass
• Bio-fuels
 Developing countries have high demands of energy
resources in order to secure its future economic
development.
 Unfortunately, environmental risks are associated in
accessing energy demands.
 CAUSES OF THE ENERGY CRISIS
The causes behind the energy crisis can never be blamed to a
single factor. This globa problem can be attributed to the following
according to the publications of the World Energy Organization.
1. Overconsumption - This is the result of too much use of fossil
fuels such as oil, gas, and coal.
2. Overpopulation - The human population steady increase leads to
more demands to energy resources.
3. Poor infrastructure - The continued use of outdated equipments
in maintaining old infrastructures limits energy production..
4. Unexplored renewable energy options - Ignorance of other
renewable energy sources options will lead the people to greatly
depend in non-renewable energy sources.
5. Delay in commissioning of power plants - The big difference
between the energy demands and supply of some countries may be
due to its reliance to the old power plants established years ago.
6. Wastage of energy - The energy wasting habits at home such as
leaving the lights on or leaving electronic gadgets plugged adds more
problem with the energy shortage nowadays.
7. Poor distribution system - If the energy from plants has poor
distribution system, tripping and breakdowns will be more frequent.
8. Major accidents and natural calamities - Energy supply
shortages may be caused by natural calamities, like volcanic
erruptions, floods and earthquakes, and major accidents. This may
result to greater increase in energy price in the global market.
9. Wars and attacks - Unsettled wars involving Middle East
cuntries may create major problems for energy consumers
due to global shortage.
10. Miscellaneous factors - These factors include Political
Events, Strikes, Tax hikers, Service Weather Changes. If the
problems will arise from oil producing companies, it will
directly cause energy crisis.
 OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION:
ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES

One of the latest technologies nowadays that can secure

the earth's energy requirement and at the same time
address the issues of climate change is the Ocean
Thermal Energy Conversion.
 OCEAN THERMAL ENERGY CONVERSION BASICS
 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)
- defined by the Office of Energy and Renewable Energy as a process
that can generate electricity by using the heat energy stored in the
Earth's ocean.
- this is an energy technology invented by Georges Claude in the
1920's.
 The first OTEC plant was built in Cuba.
 It can produce electrical energy from the temperature difference
between the deep cold ocean water and the warm tropical surface
waters.
 It works best if the temperature difference about 36ºF or 20℃.
 This alternative energy resource can provide continuous power
source that can be sustained all year round.It is said to be a clean
energy source and environmentally sustainable.
 Since OTEC can produce billions of watts of electrical energy, this
might be one way to address the current energy issues the world is
facing such as energy security, price volatility, unsustainable supply,
and climate change.
 TYPES OF OTEC SYSTEM

Closed-cycle or Anderson OTEC cycle

- In the closed cycle,a fluid with low boiling point like the ammonia is
used to power up a turbine in order to generate electricity.
- The heat exchanger pumps the warm surface seawater, where the
ammonia is vaporized. It then turns the turbo-generator.
- The second heat generator now pumps the cold deep seawater then
condenses the vapor back into a liquid.
Open-cycle or Claude OTEC cycle
-In the open cycle, the warm seawater is placed in a low pressure
container to boil.
- The steam produced powers the turbine attached to an electrical
generator.
-The steam produced is salt free, almost pure and fresh water.
- Once exposed to cold temperatures from deep ocean water, the
steam will be condensed back into liquid.
Hybrid system
- This OTEC system combines the features of both Closed and Open
cycle.
 The OTEC power plants are of two different kinds:
1. floating power plants or sea-based
2. land-based
 Both land and sea-based power plants work almost the
same.
STATUS OF OTEC POWER PLANTS AS OF MAY 2017

The current status of OTEC power plants as of May 2017.

 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF OTEC TECHNOLOGY
The use of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion as source of
electrical energy has its pros and cons. Advantages include the
following:
1. It produces clean, green renewable energy.
2. It produces no chemical pollution.
3. It does not involve burning fossil fuels which leads to lessened
greenhouse gs production.
4. It can provide potable water from ocean water.
5. It can also produce fuels such as hydrogen that can be used to
power fuel cells in electric cars.
6. This technology can be used for aquaculture, refrigeration, and air
conditioning.
 The disadvantages of depending energy resources from OTEC
Systems include the following:

1. OTEC plants are only suitable in tropical areas.

2. Electricity produced by OTEC power plants is costly.
3. Construction of OTEC power plants requires great amout of
investment.
4. Construction of power plants may damage coral reefs and other
marine ecosystems.
5. OTEC system may result to political concerns.
 ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
In order to find the best solution to address the current
environmental crisis, environmental awareness is a number on
requirement. Here is a list of the current issues the environment is
facing today:
1. Air pollution - Toxins from the factories and vehicle are the
primary reason behind the air pollution. Urban sprawl, acid deposition,
and oil leaks contaminate the groundwater. The burning of fossil fuels
from the power plants and manufacturing plants discharge different
gases that pollute the air.
2. Water pollution - In the increasing human population results to
more demand for clean water. Pollution of water are mostly caused by
discharges from agricultural and industrial activities.
3. Soil and land pollution - Mining for minerals, deforestation,
construction, and industrial activities degrade the earth's surface.
Land pollution have a big impact in the terrestrial ecosystems.
4. Climate change - The melting of the polar ice, new health issues,
changes in seasons are some of the many destructive impacts of the
Climate Change resulting from the increasing temperature of the
earth's surface.
5. Global warming - Greenhouse gases are by-products of fossil fuel
utilization. In turn, it leads to environmental changes that affect
human, animals, and plants.
6. Deforestation - The forests play a great responsibilityin managing
the earth's temperature and precipitation. The increased number of
human population results to more demands for homes, food, and
materials. The forests are continuously losing in order to provide these
demands.
7. Increased carbon footprint - Human activities directly and
indirectly produce greenhouse gases. As humans depend in fossil
fuels, carbon footprint is increased and this cause destruction to the
earth.
8. Genetic modification - The demands for food due to the increasing
population have been addressed by genetic engineering. The umans
found a way to modify the genes of the plants through this technology.
However, these genetically modified food causes threat to the animal
consumers those results to poisons and sicknesses.
9. Effect on marine life - One of the problems in the world is facing
the increasing amount of carbon in the water. This has a direct effect
on shellfishes and microscopic fishes.
10. Public health issues - The present environmental problems are a
great threat to the wellness of the humankind, including the animals. If
left unresolved, this may affect the life span of both human and
animals.
11. Overpopulation - Ar present, the sustainability of the earth's
resources is at threat due to the increasing growth of population. This
is one of the most salient environmental problem that needs to the
addressed immediately.
12. Loss of biodiversity - Human activities have affected the earth's
biodiversity. Destruction of habitat leads to loss of biodiversity.
13. Littering and landfills - The problem in proper waste disposal has
been one of the issues related with the growth of population and
industries. Municipal and household garbage once incinerated or
buried in landfills result to environmental damagein the long run.
Certain waste products of manufacturing industries generate refuse
that cannot be reuse and must be properly dispose of.
14. Ozone layer depletion - The ozone layer provides a great
protection against the radiation of the sun. The presence of
Chlorofluorocarbon's (CFC's) in the atmosphere breaks the bond of
the ozone in the atmosphere. The greatest ozone depletion was
detected over the Antarctic.
15. Mining - The earth's minerals once extracted through mining may
release harmful chemicals to the atmosphere. These emissions may
pollute the air, water and the soil.
16. Natural resource depletion - Overconsumption of the non-
renewable resources of the earth may lead to global warming that
result to more alarming environmental issues.
17. Natural disasters - Millions of people are severely affected by the
current natural calamities happening in the planet. This includes
hurricaes, floods, earthquakes and forest fires. What makes it worst is
its unpredictability and the irreparable outcomes.
18. Nuclear issues - One great source of energy comes from nuclear
resources. However, its by-product,the radioactive waste is extremely
harmful and toxic. Improper disposal of radioactive wastes will affect
humans, plants, and animals including in the environment.
19. Habitat loss - Habitat destruction, fragmentation, and degradation
are the different kinds of habitat loss. This environmental concern may
pose a great threat to the wildlife and terrestrial ecosystems.
20. Acid rain - The acidic rain water caused by the contamination of
precipitation with nitrogen and sulfuric acids has great ecological
effects. The acid deposition may affect the aquatic ecosystems,
forest, man-made structures, and even cause health issues.
21. Agricultural pollution - The use of chemical products like
pesticides and fertilizers has been a common agricultural practice
nowadays in dealing with pest. As the chemicals seep into the
ground, it contaminates the groundwater and thereby will soon affect
the plants and crops.
22. Light and noise pollution - One of the common concerns arising
from the urban areas is the high density of lights from buildings, cars,
and street lights. This pollution greatly affects the bird populations
especially in their communication, mating, and social behavior.
23. Urban sprawl - Urban sprawl or the widespread population
growth in undeveloped areas brings about results to various effects.
This includes increase in public costs, traffic flow congestions, health
issues, and environmental concerns.
24. Medical waste - The refuse generated from healthcare facilities
like hospitals, laboratory clinics, dental clinics, and nursing homes
are considered biologically hazardous waste. Improper disposal of
these biomedical wastes can lead to environmental contamination.
“ When the last tree is cut and the last
fish killed, the last river poisoned, then
you will see that you can't eat money”.

-John May-