Environmental Impact of Energy Production and Use

Global combustion of fossil fuels and other materials places almost 7 billion tons of carbon, in the form of carbon dioxide (CO₂), into the atmosphere each year. On average, Earth's oceans, trees, plants and soils absorb about one-half of this carbon. The balance remains in the air and is responsible for the annual increase CO₂ in the atmosphere.

Most of the variability in the year-to-year CO₂  uptake is related to natural processes, including droughts and fires as well as such factors as global temperatures, rainfall amounts and volcanic eruptions. Understanding these processes is central to forecasting annual CO₂  increases, thus providing important information for future CO₂ management. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Carbon Cycle Research Program, which includes surface, ocean, and space-based measurements of CO₂ and other important atmospheric gases, is aimed at developing a comprehensive picture of how CO₂  is stored and released. The carbon-cycle studies are a part of NOAA's Climate Program, an integral part of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.

Tracking CO₂ Levels

NOAA scientists have been tracking CO₂  levels around the world for more than 25 years. The oldest record comes from the Mauna Loa Observatory, which is located atop a Hawaiian volcano. There, Charles Keeling began CO₂  measurements in 1958. Following NOAA's formation in 1970, measurements continued at Mauna Loa and began at other places around the world. There are now more than 60 monitoring sites worldwide.

Each year since global measurements of CO₂  began, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased. Scientific measurements of levels of CO₂ contained in cylinders of ice, called ice cores, indicate that the pre-industrial carbon dioxide level was 278 ppm. That level did not vary more than 7 ppm during the 800 years between 1000 and 1800 A.D. Atmospheric CO₂ levels have increased from about 315 ppm in 1958 to 378 ppm at the end of 2004, which means human activities have increased the concentration of atmospheric CO₂  by 100 ppm or 36 percent.

The Built Environment

The Building Sector is a major source of the demand for energy and materials that produce as a by-product CO₂  and other greenhouse gases (GHG). Stabilizing and reversing emissions in this sector is key to keeping future global warming under one degree Celsius (°C) above today’s level.

To accomplish this, and avoid dangerous climate change, Architecture 2030 has issued 'The 2030 °Challenge’ asking the global architecture and building community to adopt the following targets:

• All new buildings, developments and major renovations are designed to meet a fossil fuel, greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that building type.
• At a minimum, an amount of existing building area equal to that of new construction be renovated annually to meet a fossil fuel, greenhouse gas (GHG) emitting, energy consumption performance standard of 50% of the regional (or country) average for that building type.
• The fossil fuel reduction standard for all new buildings be increased to:
  60% in 2010
  70% in 2015
  80% in 2020
  90% in 2025
  Carbon-neutral by 2030 (zero fossil-fuel, GHG emitting energy to operate).

This can be accomplished through innovative design strategies, application of renewable technologies, and collectively through commitments by individual households to conservation and an overall reduction in the consumption and waste of fossil fuel energy in our homes.

References and Links

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2412.htm

http://www.architecture2030.org/