As of 2000, total annual global emissions from fossil fuels were 8.7 billion tons of carbon (1 ton = 2000 pounds). About ¼ of this was from the US. This is 800 times more than in 1800.
Since 1750, the total CO2 emissions from fossil fuel use has been 280 billion metric tons of carbon (1 metric ton = 2200 pounds).
The global per capita emissions average is 1.23 metric tons of carbon per person per year. The average in the US is 5.6 metric tons of carbon per person per year.
In the US, half of the electricity is produced by burning coal. A billion tons of coal (6700 pounds per person) is burned in US every year.
In 2005 US coal-fired power plants generated about 50 tons of mercury.
Coal burning is the largest producer of greenhouse gases (GHG). It also produces soot (which kills 24000 people/year in US), mercury, lead, sulfur oxides (acid rain, aerosols). Annual health costs resulting from coal soot problems is $167 billion.
Atmospheric CO2 levels were 280 ppm in 1780, are 382 ppm now, and at the current rate of growth in use of fossil fuels will reach 950 ppm by 2100. To cause a 1 ppm increase in CO2 level, 2.12 billion tons of carbon (7.8 billion tons of CO2) must be added to the atmosphere.
19 of the 20 hottest years in the past 150 years have occurred since 1980; 2005 was the warmest year on record in the northern hemisphere.
Whereas average global temperature has increased 1.4 deg F during the 20th century, the average temperature in Alaska has increased by 4 deg F since 1950, and 7 deg F during the winter in the interior.
11 deg F of global warming wiped out 95% of all species at the end of the Permian era, 250 million years ago.
Energy use in the US rose by 50% from 1970 to 2006. The population of the US also increased by 50% in this time period.
The Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets are shrinking at more than 100 cubic kilometers (24.4 cubic miles) per year.
In the US, there are 225 million cars; this is 1.2 cars per licensed driver.
Burning 1 gallon of gasoline produces 17 pounds of CO2. A car getting 20 mpg and driven 15000 miles/year produces 6.4 tons CO2 per year.
The average human being produces 1.7 tons CO2 per year in the act of breathing. So the world population of 6 billion produces 10.4 billion tons CO2 per year (calculation assumes 0.5 liters of CO2 expelled per breath, 15 breaths per minute, and 2 grams CO2 per liter).
As of the end of 2010, about 85 million barrels of oil per day are produced (and consumed) globally.
Only 1% of travel in the US is by public transit (bus, train).
In 2007, 21% of the US corn crop was diverted to make ethanol for cars.
There are 17000 dams in the US producing 2.6% of the electricity.
A golf-ball sized piece of uranium fuel is energy-equivalent to 8000 barrels of oil, or 1200 tons of coal, or 22 million cubic feet of natural gas.
17% of the world’s energy comes from nuclear reactors.
For every terawatt-year of energy use, the number of worldwide fatalities was 8 for nuclear, 85 for natural gas, 342 for coal, 418 for oil, 884 for hydro, and 3289 for LNG. A terawatt is a trillion (a million million) watts.
Mankind used 16 terawatt-years of energy in 2005. Running at a power level of 1 terawatt for sixteen years produces 16 terawatt-years of energy.
There is sufficient uranium to power us for 50000 years at the current usage rate.
To provide 80% of our energy from nuclear power by 2050 would require building 100 2.5-gigawatt (1 gigawatt = 1 billion watts) plants per year between 2015 and 2050, giving a total of 3500 plants generating 8.75 terawatts of energy. This would cost $17 trillion, much less than our current total debt.
The single most important thing you can do to decrease your own CO2 emissions is to stop flying in airplanes.
The US has 4% of the world’s population, yet is responsible for 25% of the world’s greenhouse-gas emissions. In addition, we incarcerate 25% of the world’s prisoners.
No comments:
Post a Comment