Gasland Questions

This video discusses the technology of fracking which is a recently developed way of obtaining fuel sources such as natural gas and/or oil. However this process decimates the surrounding environment and often times causes many issues. It is because of this that I have three major questions regarding this technology.

1.)   Is it worth the risk of increased earthquakes to get to this amount of fuel when all it is doing is postponing the need for renewable energy?

2.)  Does this have an overall positive or negative impact on the economy because although money will be made from what is harnessed, more money will be spent when it comes time to repair the damaged land?

3.)  Is it necessary that we use this fracking technology right now, or can we wait and see if we can develop a new technology that will prevent the massive environmental damage being done and forgo the fuel being harnessed until a later time?

Power Surge Movie Discussion

The proposed theory to solve the energy crisis is referred to as the wedge theory. The wedge theory basically states that we have to use seven of the fifteen available energies that can remove one billion tons of CO2 out of the atmosphere every year. One of the methods proposed is efficiency which can relate to how we use our energy, i.e. increasing mpg and emissions for cars. Another method is to triple the number of nuclear power plants of 50 years. Another idea is to clean coal plants and bury their CO2 emissions. Lastly, there is the obvious concept of using wind turbines and solar panels and other methods. Under the umbrella of these four methods lies all fifteen methods so the idea behind the wedge theory is that there lies many possible solutions which is what we need in order to solve a problem of this size. It is because of the idea that there are many possible solutions and, as Stewart Brand shows, we need to use them all that I believe this video accurately portrays how we need to go about finding a solution to this problem.

                                                     

This theory of the wedge is a physical representation of what people have thought for a long time, we need to use multiple technologies and enhance the ones we already have in order to bring about rapid change. There is no one solution or technology that, as of yet, is strong enough or will create a big enough impact that it will solve the energy crisis so we therefore must rely on multiple options. I especially like how the wedge theory breaks the problem down into smaller more easily solvable components. Instead of removing 7 billion tons of CO2 at one time it is easier to remove 1 billion tons of it 7 different ways. Then again, I am an engineer so naturally I would be inclined to solving a problem this way but still.

In terms of what the effects of using these energy crisis solving methods would be in relation to the environment, society, and economy, this video is lacking a bit. It obviously does an excellent job showing the impacts of the environment, but it virtually throws society and economy aside as the environment is the number one focus. Those that came up with these solutions and those that will implement them will however need to take a much deeper look into the societal and economic impacts certain strategies would have in order to determine how best to complete the wedge. Overall though I would say this video was definitely worth watching as it provided great insights into how to solve this extremely serious problem. The next step will be to begin implementing at least some of these methods before it is too late.

Review of Classroom Discussion

During class today we discussed the similarities and the differences between energy policies of the USA and Brazil. During this discussion it was evident that Brazil is going in a completely different route than that the US  is taken when it comes to their oil. Brazil is using the profits of their petroleum to reinvest in alternative energy technology in order to prepare themselves for the future. On the other hand, the US is focusing on buying other nations oil while increasing our own production of oil and fossil fuels. This is most likely going to hurt us in the long run because we will be forced to use the alternative energy technology developed by other nations instead of what we develop ourselves. My projected overall outcome is that if both of these nations stay on the same path, Brazil's economy will grow, their society will improve, and they will be extremely environmentally friendly. The US however will see a decline in their economy because it will need to import energy technology, as a result of a declining economy society will decline, and furthermore, the US will still be one of the worst nations with regards to taking care of the environment.

Personally I think that the best option in terms of future energy is to combine wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal energy instead of relying on any one in particular because this will prevent a strong dependency on any one thing. Brazil and its heavy reliance on hydroelectric power has proven that although it is effective and green, there are times where it is too unpredictable and unreliable which causes massive fluctuations in energy. If the world as a whole focuses on all of these different forms of alternative energy then perhaps we could see virtually free energy production in our lifetime. Only time will tell.

Real Brazilian Culture

So happy the kid taking this pic didn't run off with my phone...

Anyways these kids were zika! Except for the short one in the middle...His family is cool though. His Uncle is Obama, Everybody Hates Chris, Pele, Ronaldo, Namar, and his brother is Kevin Garnett. 

These kids also provided a much better insight into what Brazil is really like in comparison to Gus who thinks they're in the midst of a civil war of sorts. Also these kids all told us that Corinthian fans were the ones who started all the fights...coincidence Gus likes them? I think not...

Response to Inconvenient Truth

The following is a list of responses regarding the Inconvenient Truth video witch, for those who haven't seen it, is an over dramatization of everything going on with the environment and global warming to make it seem 100x worse than it is. The reason being that there definitely is something going wrong with the Earth and Global Warming is real, but if it the changes that are occurring are accurately portrayed they would seem minor and no cause for concern because we as humans generally don't bother ourselves with little problems but instead try and tackle impossible challenges hence the need to blow this out of the water in order to attract people's attention and call them to action. Now with that being said it is time to answer the quick quiz about the movie...

1. What started this whole environmental movement was a simple photograph that was taken by Apollo 8 and it is known as the Earth Rise. It showed the Earth as somewhat impure which immediately caused concern because naturally we panic about the tiniest things like ya know...quite protests in city.
2. When looking at the Earth as a system the atmosphere is definitely weakest link as it is made up of a certain balance of gasses which can easily be disturbed.
3. So evidently according to this movie the atmosphere is, relatively speaking, as thin as a coat of varnish on the globe...Wouldn't have been my choice for an analogy but I guess it works.
4. Pro of trapping infrared radiation: keeps the Earth warm and livable
5. Con: Too much causes the Earth to heat up and if it gets too hot catastrophe will follow...Analogy here would be alcohol, ingesting a certain amount is fine...too much and well we've all been there. 
6.  Fun Fact: 40% of people rely on glacial melt a year for their drinking water...That means that there's a good chance we've all had water from a glacier at some points in our lives...SmartWater probably...
7. So evidently there are people who study bubbles in ice cores and before you laugh what they do is actually important because the bubbles are from CO2 and it enables them to determine CO2 levels of previous years.
8. So the question was posed what is the relation between CO2 levels and atmospheric temperature and the response to that according to this video is that when CO2 goes up atmospheric temperature also goes up, however there are other sources which contradict this so you can decide how you feel about it.
9. Interestingly enough the hottest span of time was between 1992-2005 according to this movie but there are many different graphs and charts and people who show that this data which seems like the smoking gun for global warming is typical when looking at the fact that the Earth's average temperature has risen and fallen in cycles over the years...Obviously the most drastic change in temperature was when we went into and came out of the ice age and I'm pretty sure there weren't cars to and billions of people to warm up the Earth back then.
10. Another fun fact: As water under a hurricane gets warmer the wind velocity increases. So basically people in Florida should stock up on ice for hurricane season and dump it all into the water before it hits land.
11. Lake Chad: RIP as you are old and dried up...just like the river of the Grand Canyon but only uglier.
12. Stop wasting your money on sunscreen and instead use ice cubes because ice reflects 90% of the Sun's radiation...until it melts.
13. Interesting...water and wind currents transfer energy from the equator to the poles...oh you're in fifth grade and you knew that? Guess Mr. Gore has some catching up to do.
14. Bad News for everyone on or near the coast...especially you New Orleans...if the ice sheets of Western Antarctica were to melt the sea level would rise approximately 20 ft. That's not good.
15. Why is it that it seems like we are at war with the Earth or so Mr. Gore believes? Because our population is too high and we don't put our concern on the environment nearly as much as we should, and because of the technological and scientific revolution. So either we can kill people, change or way of thinking, or revert to the stone age, I'll leave the decision up to you.
16. Not so fun fact: About 30% of global CO2 production comes from forest fires which is something I think we all can agree on needs to be prevented and not just because of CO2 levels.
17. Hola America, just wanted to congratulate you for leading the world in CO2 emissions. Even ahead of China which has a population 4x greater. Way to follow the American way of overdoing everything.
18. Hey America you won again! You are also the country with the lowest standard for gas mileage on automobiles! Way to do us all a favor and burn through gas and oil faster than anywhere else!
19. For the third question in a row USA all the way. You signed the Kyoto protocol but failed to ratify it because ya know why do the right way when it comes to politics. At least this time you have Australia to partner with but still it's a shame.

All sarcasm and jokes aside, the United States tries to lead the world in everything and yet we are failing at doing the simple stuff to help the environment. We really need to start focusing intensely on making our nation and the world environmentally friendly otherwise it could be unlivable for future generations. Is owning that Hummer or not recycling really worth the future of the Earth? If you think it is well than you are a... can't type  what I want because I'm graded on this but you get the point. Pony up America and do your part!

4th of July Brazilian Style

Personal Emissions

According to a test on this site I produce 11 tons of CO2 gas every year assuming I'm in an apartment or dorm. This is less than half of that of the average U.S. citizen but in relation to the average person in the world it is twice that of the global average. My personal breakdown of emissions ends up being:

11.5% for home energy thanks to Northeastern
36.7% for driving and flying and that's higher mostly because of the trip here ironically
4.9% for waste and recycling again thanks to Northeastern
46.9% for food which is almost equivalent to what the average person emits total but oh well.

These percentages are similar to the U.S average breakdown except that normally home energy is over 36%
and food is barely at 15% but I'm a college kid on a green campus with an infinite amount of food already paid for at my disposal...what do you expect?

As for how to decrease my output in each category there really isn't much I could do in terms of home energy other than keep my windows closed in my dorm and ensure my chargers and stuff are not left plugged in all the time.

The driving and flying thing is pretty much out of my control because I don't drive unless I have to and like I said this trip killed that category for me.

Waste and recycling is pretty much as good as I can get it because I generally try to recycle everything and put the proper items in the compost bin but I guess I could always do better.

Lastly, the food category could be lowered by eating more organic foods and eating less meat but I am almost positive that is not going to happen because I spend hours at the gym so I need my food to stay energized and I dislike tofu so yeah no changes there.

This little activity was interesting but that's the end of it so now you now my CO2 emissions which I am sure you were dying to know if you got this far in the post. So uh yeah thanks for being weird and caring about my CO2 emissions but really you should go find something else better to do. Cya.