Could anyone help me with these? Dont need to be specific, just briefly explain.
ID: 233673 • Letter: C
Question
Could anyone help me with these? Dont need to be specific, just briefly explain. Thanks
1.Is there a scientific basis for the consensus limit of 2 degrees C of average global temperature increase, to avoid catastrophic effects?
2.Can solar and wind energy generation save the planet inexpensively?
3. Between 1998 and 2012, average global temperature hardly rose. Do we know why? Does it matter?
4.Why in the U.S. do most Republicans deny that climate change is occurring and most Democrats affirm that it is?
5.Is subsidizing wind and solar power installation sometimes counter-productive? If so, why?
6.Which country emits the most greenhouse gases? Which country has the highest emissions of greenhouse gases per person?
Explanation / Answer
1) Scientific basis - Yes.. For the last 10000 years, the temperature fluctuated by 1 degree celsius (+/-). Moreover, at 2 degree C, sea-levels would rise enough to nsubmerge many coastal lands. Therefor 2 deg C is a threshold value for our climate and it is dangerous to cross.
2. Today, Nuclear plants run at 90% of its capacity, whereas wind at 25% and solar at 15%. Moreover, raw materials like ultra pure elctronic grade silicon, tellurium, silver etc are expensive. This increases the installation and maintenance cost, thus increasing the per unit electricity charges. Therefore more research and technological breakthroughs are required to increase the efficiency of wind and solar plants. In the future, however, with increased technology, and cheaper raw materials, solar and wind energy generation can save the planet inexpensively.
3. Many reasons - i). Natural climate cycles like El-Nino-laNina. in that decade, La Nina events were strong. This inturn strengthed PDO (Pacific Decadal Oscillation) and similar oscillationns in other oceans which resulted into strengthening of vertical currents in the ocean, thus moving excess surface heat to the bottom.
ii) Intense melting of ice consumed a lot of energy in that decade.
iii) Reduced insolation, relatively mild sunspot activity etc.
4. Republicans deny that climate change is occurring because the scientific community is divided over this issue. Some scientists think that the change in climate is a cyclical process. They further say that we are living in an interstadial phase of an iceage, and climate fluctuations in interstadials is well-known in the past. The Republicans have the same line of thinking and are waiting for more proof to completely ascertain that climate is indeed changing.
Democrats on the other hand go by the majority of the scientific community which says that climate change is happening. They believe that more proofs to completely prove climate change is slowly accumulating by the day.
5. Subsidies help in establishing a sunrise industry. But if it has no time-period then it stops being an incentive and instead becomes a burden on the tax-payer. Subsidising solar and wind energy generation may end up concentrating a major chunk of government finances to these two,thus neglecting other emerging form of power industries like, Biofuels or OTEC, Geothermal power etc. Moreover, relying on subsidies tend to reduce the growth of any industry when compared to those industries in a free market but without subsidies. Therefore, short-term subsidies are good for giving a push to emerging industries but long-term subsidies become counter-productive.
6. China - with 10.5 million tons/year of Greenhouse gases. Qatar with 44 tonnes/year per head.