How to Cut Carbon Emissions - Lab Report Example

Evidence continues to accumulate that carbon dioxide, or CO2, from fossil fuel burning is causing dangerous interference in the climate. The main aim of this experiment is to point out the technologies currently available that can substantially cut carbon emissions over the next fifty years. The Stabilization wedge Game aims at reducing the projected carbon output by roughly 8 billion tonnes per year by the year 2055. This will entail using energy wedges to accomplish the stabilization triangle. Each wedge will represent a reduction of one billion tonnes of carbon emitted per year. (Carbon Mitigation Initiative)   EXPERIMENTAL METHODS The methodology followed for the Stabilization Wedge Game is; I. Chose 8 wedges that our team gave preference to be the best global solutions bearing in mind the costs and impacts of each, II. From the Wedge Game-board that was supplied we cut apart the red, green, yellow, and blue wedge pieces, III. We then read the information on each of the 15 strategies in the Wedge Table that was provided and on which costs were indicated on a relative basis, IV. From the 15 strategies in the Wedge Table we chose one wedge strategy at a time to fill the 8 spots on the wedge game-board, V. Four colors of the wedge pieces represented major categories:(fossil fuel-based (blue), efficiency and conservation (yellow), nuclear (red), and renewables and bio-storage (green). VI. Each wedge was to be considered based on both technical and political viability. VII. All 8 strategies we chose were filled out in the Wedge Worksheet and we totaled the cuts from each energy sector (Electricity, Transport, and Heat) and costs. A scoring table was used to predict how different interest groups rated our wedges. (Hotinski) DATA AND OBSERVATIONS 1. Wedge Worksheet 1. Record your strategies to reduce total fossil fuel emissions by 8 wedges by 2055. (1 “wedge” = 1 billion tons of carbon per year) • You may use a strategy more than once • Use only whole numbers of wedges • You may use a maximum of - 6 electricity wedges (E) - 5 transportation wedges (T) - 5 heat or direct fuel use wedges (H)     RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Our group discussed and contributed substantially. All the members came to a consensus on the choice of wedges that we made. The wedges were selected based on the ease of achieving them and the effectiveness of each wedge. However, we agreed that none of the wedges could create the stabilization triangle on its own and also none of the wedges was 100% effective. (Hotinski)   StrategySource of Wedge 1 Conservation Transport Cutting  miles traveled by all passenger vehicles in half 2 Efficiency Electricity Raising plant efficiency from 40% to 60% 3 CCS Hydrogen Producing hydrogen at 10 times the current rate 4 Wind Electricity Using area equal to ~3% of  U.S. area for wind farms 5 Soil Storage Practicing carbon management on all world’s agricultural soils 6 Biofuels Scaling up world ethanol production by a factor of 30 7 Efficiency Building Using the best available technology in all new and existing buildings 8 Nuclear Electricity ~3 times the effort France put into expanding nuclear power in the 1980s, sustained for 50 years   Each of the 8 strategies above has the potential to reduce global carbon emissions by at least 1 billion tons per year by 2054, or 1 wedge. Using a combination of strategies will be needed to build the 7 wedges of the stabilization triangle.   Read More