"Post Carbon Institute Fellow Sandra Postel discusses what the American population needs to know, sooner rather than later, about looming water scarcities. She urges proactive organization by citizens and government. "
Showing posts with label water shortage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water shortage. Show all posts
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Human Impact!
I'm constantly amazed when otherwise rational people seem to find it difficult to believe that human's are having a significant impact on the planet. Usually this takes the form of doubting that we could possibly be causing climate change. But no matter how amazing I find that, what follows is more amazing, the observed facts of that impact.
And here is the most amazing figure,
75% of all the ice free land mass on the planet has been modified by us!
As Dr. Iain Stewart,Professor of Geoscience Communication at the University of Plymouth, stated on his recent TV special How Earth Made Us, "We are now a geological force to rival the earth's natural forces".
In this clip he explores an amazing cave full of giant crystals which was, ironically, discovered by miners who drained the chamber of it's hot water.
Much of the following, including the inspiration and almost all of the bold text, is drawn from the series by Dr. Stewart.
We are capable, as a species of unleashing vast destructive power, and not just with weapons of war. We have turned our weapons upon the earth. Explosives are used to strip away whole mountain tops and destroy thousands of miles of streams in the Appalachians, open pit mines are now big enough to swallow whole cities.
As a species we move more earth and rock than all the forces of erosion combined.
In the 1930's 500,000 people were made homeless and 1,000,000 acres of farmland were devastated by the unsustainable farming practices that brought on the dustbowl.
25% of the world's farmland is now degraded.
But this beavering away at the earth pales in comparison to the forces we can mindlessly unleash from the earth itself, in Indonesia, exploration for natural gas has uncorked a boiling mud volcano that has displaced 30,000 people and destroyed 10,000 homes, enough mud flows from this engineering mistake to fill 50 olympic size swimming pools every single day, while the corporation responsible ducks and weaves with the assistance of the government.
"A new study has concluded that a volcanic eruption of mud in Indonesia's east Java was caused by human error.
An international team of scientists says there is no doubt that drilling at a nearby gas well weakened rock formations, triggering the crisis.
The company responsible for the drilling, Lapindo Brantas, claims the problem was caused by an earthquake."
In the eastern Pacific ocean a giant swirling mass of plastic debris, called the Garbage Patch, is now twice the size of Texas. This toxic waste is being found in every level of the food chain and no one is being held responsible because everyone is responsible, with our plastic water bottles, toothbrushes, razors, lighters, pens, and everything else made of plastic that we chuck away.
Not only are we using the oceans as a dumping ground but we have increased oceanic acidity by 30% since measurements have been taken.
We have so interfered with the natural water cycle of the planet that very few rivers reach the sea without major alteration, some, like the Colorado, never reach the sea at all most years.
There is now 5 times more fresh water stored behind dams than what flows freely in all the world's rivers. Far from beneficial, it is evident that our interference with the water cycle is making life worse for billions of people worldwide, and degrading vital wetland and riverine habitat.
In the final episode of his series Dr. Stewart detailed how in spite of being made by the earth over the last 50,000 years or so we have now turned the tables and are remaking the earth. He explains that we should have been deep in an ice age by now, which according to the geologic record should have started 7000 years ago. But around 11,000 years ago we invented agriculture, more specifically slash and burn agriculture. The added carbon dioxide overcame the forces of the relationship between the sun and earth which would have brought back the ice. And now the industrial revolution is vastly accelerating that process. CO2 and CO2 equivalent levels are higher now than at any time in the last 15 million years.
Our appetite for one resource outstrips all others both in consumption and in damage caused. We burn 1000 barrels of oil per second and the amount of oil we burn in a year took the planet 3 million years to make. When it comes to oil, our thirst for cheap abundant energy is leading us to "scrape the bottom of the barrel" - Dr. Iain Stewart. The Alberta Tar sands; the most expensive, most polluting source of energy on earth, producing 30% more greenhouse emissions than traditionally pumped oil, for every 5 barrels of oil produced it costs 1 barrel as opposed to traditional wells which deliver 25 barrels of oil for every barrel invested, the strip mining of which currently covers 50,000 sq kilometers. Most of the area mined was covered in carbon sequestering boreal forest. Most of this disastrous oil is burned in the vehicles of the United States.
And now to the most fragile of Earth's systems, the atmosphere. 55 million years ago there was a quick intense burst of global warming that remade the biosphere. To survive, plants and animals had to move toward the poles, those that could lived, those that couldn't died.
The overabundance of methane in the atmosphere brought about a warm period that lasted millions of years. The planet eventually compensated but only because the movement of the plates created the Himalayan range which altered the atmospheric and water cycles to such an extent that a long period of carbon sequestration took place bringing the greenhouse effect back into balance.
This period provides vital lessons for us today, read more about it at:
Global warming 55 million years ago caused migration to North America
Perhaps the most important lesson is this; the kind of changes that we ourselves are bringing about will take millions of years for the planet to sort out. Our civilization depends very much on the state of the planet we found ourselves in during the last 10,000 years. We have been assiduously destroying the balance the planet took millions of years to create and we will have to wait millions of years for the planet to repair our mistakes.
We are washing away the foundations of our existence on every front. It is high time we move from crashing about on the planet like a bull in china shop and find a way to go forward with intent. We must find systems of living based on sustainability. The systems and tools exist, it is up to each of us to adopt them.
And here is the most amazing figure,
75% of all the ice free land mass on the planet has been modified by us!
As Dr. Iain Stewart,Professor of Geoscience Communication at the University of Plymouth, stated on his recent TV special How Earth Made Us, "We are now a geological force to rival the earth's natural forces".
In this clip he explores an amazing cave full of giant crystals which was, ironically, discovered by miners who drained the chamber of it's hot water.
Much of the following, including the inspiration and almost all of the bold text, is drawn from the series by Dr. Stewart.
We are capable, as a species of unleashing vast destructive power, and not just with weapons of war. We have turned our weapons upon the earth. Explosives are used to strip away whole mountain tops and destroy thousands of miles of streams in the Appalachians, open pit mines are now big enough to swallow whole cities.
As a species we move more earth and rock than all the forces of erosion combined.
In the 1930's 500,000 people were made homeless and 1,000,000 acres of farmland were devastated by the unsustainable farming practices that brought on the dustbowl.
25% of the world's farmland is now degraded.
But this beavering away at the earth pales in comparison to the forces we can mindlessly unleash from the earth itself, in Indonesia, exploration for natural gas has uncorked a boiling mud volcano that has displaced 30,000 people and destroyed 10,000 homes, enough mud flows from this engineering mistake to fill 50 olympic size swimming pools every single day, while the corporation responsible ducks and weaves with the assistance of the government.
"A new study has concluded that a volcanic eruption of mud in Indonesia's east Java was caused by human error.
An international team of scientists says there is no doubt that drilling at a nearby gas well weakened rock formations, triggering the crisis.
The company responsible for the drilling, Lapindo Brantas, claims the problem was caused by an earthquake."
In the eastern Pacific ocean a giant swirling mass of plastic debris, called the Garbage Patch, is now twice the size of Texas. This toxic waste is being found in every level of the food chain and no one is being held responsible because everyone is responsible, with our plastic water bottles, toothbrushes, razors, lighters, pens, and everything else made of plastic that we chuck away.
Not only are we using the oceans as a dumping ground but we have increased oceanic acidity by 30% since measurements have been taken.
We have so interfered with the natural water cycle of the planet that very few rivers reach the sea without major alteration, some, like the Colorado, never reach the sea at all most years.
There is now 5 times more fresh water stored behind dams than what flows freely in all the world's rivers. Far from beneficial, it is evident that our interference with the water cycle is making life worse for billions of people worldwide, and degrading vital wetland and riverine habitat.
In the final episode of his series Dr. Stewart detailed how in spite of being made by the earth over the last 50,000 years or so we have now turned the tables and are remaking the earth. He explains that we should have been deep in an ice age by now, which according to the geologic record should have started 7000 years ago. But around 11,000 years ago we invented agriculture, more specifically slash and burn agriculture. The added carbon dioxide overcame the forces of the relationship between the sun and earth which would have brought back the ice. And now the industrial revolution is vastly accelerating that process. CO2 and CO2 equivalent levels are higher now than at any time in the last 15 million years.
Our appetite for one resource outstrips all others both in consumption and in damage caused. We burn 1000 barrels of oil per second and the amount of oil we burn in a year took the planet 3 million years to make. When it comes to oil, our thirst for cheap abundant energy is leading us to "scrape the bottom of the barrel" - Dr. Iain Stewart. The Alberta Tar sands; the most expensive, most polluting source of energy on earth, producing 30% more greenhouse emissions than traditionally pumped oil, for every 5 barrels of oil produced it costs 1 barrel as opposed to traditional wells which deliver 25 barrels of oil for every barrel invested, the strip mining of which currently covers 50,000 sq kilometers. Most of the area mined was covered in carbon sequestering boreal forest. Most of this disastrous oil is burned in the vehicles of the United States.
And now to the most fragile of Earth's systems, the atmosphere. 55 million years ago there was a quick intense burst of global warming that remade the biosphere. To survive, plants and animals had to move toward the poles, those that could lived, those that couldn't died.
The overabundance of methane in the atmosphere brought about a warm period that lasted millions of years. The planet eventually compensated but only because the movement of the plates created the Himalayan range which altered the atmospheric and water cycles to such an extent that a long period of carbon sequestration took place bringing the greenhouse effect back into balance.
This period provides vital lessons for us today, read more about it at:
Global warming 55 million years ago caused migration to North America
Perhaps the most important lesson is this; the kind of changes that we ourselves are bringing about will take millions of years for the planet to sort out. Our civilization depends very much on the state of the planet we found ourselves in during the last 10,000 years. We have been assiduously destroying the balance the planet took millions of years to create and we will have to wait millions of years for the planet to repair our mistakes.
We are washing away the foundations of our existence on every front. It is high time we move from crashing about on the planet like a bull in china shop and find a way to go forward with intent. We must find systems of living based on sustainability. The systems and tools exist, it is up to each of us to adopt them.
Saturday, 5 December 2009
Video - Blue Gold: World Water Wars
I've just seen this documentary on the local Community Channel here in Sheffield and can't recommend it highly enough. Find a way to see this film!
"International award-winning documentary narrated by Malcolm McDowell, based on the book Blue Gold, hailed the 'Real Quantum of Solace'. Global Warming is an issue of 'how' we live, the water crisis is an issue of 'if' we live. See www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com for DVD details. "Friday, 14 August 2009
Water, too precious to waste.
Here's my latest submission to the Sheffield Star Green Scene.
In Bermuda every home has built in rainwater harvesting mandated by code as there is no natural source of fresh water. There is also a developing network of water mains provided by a desalinization plant. As this process uses a great deal of electricity, provided by an oil burning power plant, the cost of this water is some incentive to conserve. Many homes have 3 sources of water, a shallow well that provides brackish water for flushing toilets and washing clothes, the rainwater harvesting system used for drinking water, bathing and dishwashing, and the desalinated mains back up for those weeks of dry weather that exhaust the rainwater supply. The long history of relying on the skies for much of their water has contributed to the development of a deep seated water conservation ethic in many Bermudians.
We are not so fortunate as to have mandated rainwater harvesting here in the UK where water usage in the home breaks down as such;
toilet flushing - 33%
washing machines - 21%
baths and showers - 17%
kitchen sink - 16%
wash basin - 9 %
dishwashers - 1%
hosepipes - 3%
and a further 5 to 10% is lost through leaks in the home.
(Harris and Borer 2005 p.279)
From these figures some obvious avenues of conservation are evident. Firstly, why do we flush our toilets with drinking water? We can at least cut down on the number of flushes. In Bermuda there is a saying, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Another simple flush saver is to have an occasional surreptitious garden pee on your compost heap. The extra nitrogen will speed up the composting process and as long as you don’t overdo it the heap won’t smell much different.
In our home we place a collection bucket in the shower to capture the water wasted while waiting for it to get hot. When we step in we push it back against the wall and it continues to collect splash and drip throughout the shower. We then pour this “excess” water into the toilet to flush.
Showers use less water than baths unless you have a power shower. If you have a hot water heater you don’t need a power shower which uses far more water and electricity than is needed. In either case take as short a shower as you can.
Use a bucket in the sink when you wash dishes, you can use this water to flush toilets or to water your lawn. Be sure to use gentle, natural soaps. Avoid antibacterial soaps as they will have a deleterious effect on the soil ecology.
Don’t use hosepipes. If you must wash your car or water your plants use buckets. The simple act of carrying your water will encourage conservation. A running hosepipe can get through an astonishing amount of water, hundreds of litres, in a very short period of time.
Avoid plantings in the garden that are water hungry, if you must water plants use rainwater from a water butt. Rainwater is better for the plants and the soil as it does not contain chlorine.
There are more expensive options for water conservation. If a replacement is needed of a water using device be sure to carefully source lower use options such as low flow shower heads, spray taps, and low use toilet cisterns. An even better solution is a compost toilet which uses no water and produces compost for your fruit trees.
References:
Harris, C. and Borer, P. 1998 - The Whole House Book; Ecological Building Design and Materials 2nd edition,
In Bermuda every home has built in rainwater harvesting mandated by code as there is no natural source of fresh water. There is also a developing network of water mains provided by a desalinization plant. As this process uses a great deal of electricity, provided by an oil burning power plant, the cost of this water is some incentive to conserve. Many homes have 3 sources of water, a shallow well that provides brackish water for flushing toilets and washing clothes, the rainwater harvesting system used for drinking water, bathing and dishwashing, and the desalinated mains back up for those weeks of dry weather that exhaust the rainwater supply. The long history of relying on the skies for much of their water has contributed to the development of a deep seated water conservation ethic in many Bermudians.
We are not so fortunate as to have mandated rainwater harvesting here in the UK where water usage in the home breaks down as such;
toilet flushing - 33%
washing machines - 21%
baths and showers - 17%
kitchen sink - 16%
wash basin - 9 %
dishwashers - 1%
hosepipes - 3%
and a further 5 to 10% is lost through leaks in the home.
(Harris and Borer 2005 p.279)
From these figures some obvious avenues of conservation are evident. Firstly, why do we flush our toilets with drinking water? We can at least cut down on the number of flushes. In Bermuda there is a saying, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” Another simple flush saver is to have an occasional surreptitious garden pee on your compost heap. The extra nitrogen will speed up the composting process and as long as you don’t overdo it the heap won’t smell much different.
In our home we place a collection bucket in the shower to capture the water wasted while waiting for it to get hot. When we step in we push it back against the wall and it continues to collect splash and drip throughout the shower. We then pour this “excess” water into the toilet to flush.
Showers use less water than baths unless you have a power shower. If you have a hot water heater you don’t need a power shower which uses far more water and electricity than is needed. In either case take as short a shower as you can.
Use a bucket in the sink when you wash dishes, you can use this water to flush toilets or to water your lawn. Be sure to use gentle, natural soaps. Avoid antibacterial soaps as they will have a deleterious effect on the soil ecology.
Don’t use hosepipes. If you must wash your car or water your plants use buckets. The simple act of carrying your water will encourage conservation. A running hosepipe can get through an astonishing amount of water, hundreds of litres, in a very short period of time.
Avoid plantings in the garden that are water hungry, if you must water plants use rainwater from a water butt. Rainwater is better for the plants and the soil as it does not contain chlorine.
There are more expensive options for water conservation. If a replacement is needed of a water using device be sure to carefully source lower use options such as low flow shower heads, spray taps, and low use toilet cisterns. An even better solution is a compost toilet which uses no water and produces compost for your fruit trees.
References:
Harris, C. and Borer, P. 1998 - The Whole House Book; Ecological Building Design and Materials 2nd edition,
Friday, 7 August 2009
Thirsty?
In this article by Bary Katz over at The Future is Green we are reminded once again of the pitiful job mainstream media is doing at keeping us apprised of the challenges we face. We are still flushing our toilets with fresh, treated, drinking water while;
"... 12 million people die each year due to lack of access to clean water. A child dies every six seconds for lack of access to clean water."
You might say "but what can we do about water in the developing world, we are not going to ship vast quantities over seas are we?"
"... this is not just a Third World problem. Huge swaths of the United States are currently facing severe water shortages. Maude Barlow writes in Blue Covenant that in 2007, " Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake, dropped to its lowest level in eighty years. . . . California has a twenty-year supply of freshwater left. New Mexico has only a ten-year supply. Arizona is out: it now import all of its drinking water."
Barlow also notes that the U.S. Geological Survey found that "the parched Interior West is probably the driest it has been in five hundred years." This is more than a drought. We are running out of water."
We rely on huge quantities of water, not just to flush away our waste but also to grow the food we eat. This is clearly not some passing perturbation;
Saturday, 27 June 2009
A loo made of poo makes energy for you
Continuing the theme of respecting water that I laid out in my previous post "Some thoughts about water". Thanks to Worldchanging for the heads up on this innovative design.
Sunday, 14 June 2009
Some thoughts about water
Growing up in the US I never saw a house without a water meter, unless there was no water supply. This was the case where I lived in New Mexico where all the water I used, though free, had to be carried up the hill in 5 gallon containers. While carrying 85 pounds of water up a hill was good physical conditioning this was a particularly strong incentive to conserve. Some of the first permaculture principles I ever saw put into action were on that land. My roommate built swales to halt rainwater runoff and direct it the pinion pines.
The western US has a long and interesting relationship with water. Personal rainwater harvesting was illegal until recently in the state of Colorado, where hundred year old water rights and laws are still in effect. It still is illegal in the state of Washington. The idea being that by interrupting the flow of water from my roof to the watershed I would be “stealing” water from the rightful owner, whoever held the rights to that watershed. Nevermind that I would be using it very efficiently and the rightful owner, probably a farmer or mining operation might be wasting it extravagantly. This is an unfortunate situation because simply by using water where it falls from the sky the carbon footprint is lower than using water that has to be purified, and pumped through miles of leaky water pipes. This is especially true in the UK where about a third of the water in the system is lost through leaky mains. (Harris and Borer 2005 p.279)
When I first moved to the UK I was astounded to discover that most homes don’t even have water meters. While this could be seen as a convenience it removes incentive to conserve. To borrow a concept from business management, you can’t manage what you don’t measure! Installing a meter, which should be free from your water company, will provide a incentive to conserve and will allow you to pay only for what you use. Typically a household that installs a meter will see a 30% reduction in water use. (Harris and Borer 2005 p.279)
As the UK sees more water restrictions due to changing weather patterns brought on by climate change there will be increased impetus to conserve. Mains water supply uses significant amounts of electricity to purify and pump and using pure water to flush toilets is wasteful. The trick is to find ways to cut usage without investment in expensive equipment that counteracts the savings. In subsequent posts I’ll discuss simple methods for doing just that.
References:
Harris, C. and Borer, P. 1998 - The Whole House Book; Ecological Building Design and Materials 2nd edition,
The western US has a long and interesting relationship with water. Personal rainwater harvesting was illegal until recently in the state of Colorado, where hundred year old water rights and laws are still in effect. It still is illegal in the state of Washington. The idea being that by interrupting the flow of water from my roof to the watershed I would be “stealing” water from the rightful owner, whoever held the rights to that watershed. Nevermind that I would be using it very efficiently and the rightful owner, probably a farmer or mining operation might be wasting it extravagantly. This is an unfortunate situation because simply by using water where it falls from the sky the carbon footprint is lower than using water that has to be purified, and pumped through miles of leaky water pipes. This is especially true in the UK where about a third of the water in the system is lost through leaky mains. (Harris and Borer 2005 p.279)
When I first moved to the UK I was astounded to discover that most homes don’t even have water meters. While this could be seen as a convenience it removes incentive to conserve. To borrow a concept from business management, you can’t manage what you don’t measure! Installing a meter, which should be free from your water company, will provide a incentive to conserve and will allow you to pay only for what you use. Typically a household that installs a meter will see a 30% reduction in water use. (Harris and Borer 2005 p.279)
As the UK sees more water restrictions due to changing weather patterns brought on by climate change there will be increased impetus to conserve. Mains water supply uses significant amounts of electricity to purify and pump and using pure water to flush toilets is wasteful. The trick is to find ways to cut usage without investment in expensive equipment that counteracts the savings. In subsequent posts I’ll discuss simple methods for doing just that.
References:
Harris, C. and Borer, P. 1998 - The Whole House Book; Ecological Building Design and Materials 2nd edition,
Monday, 11 May 2009
Climate Change: Dire Consequences for California's Agriculture
The US is heavily dependent on food from California. As the article linked to below points out, that food supply is seriously threatened by climate change as the snowpack on the western mountains disappears. The question is, will this threat get translated into aggressive action to mitigate GHG emissions? Will every effort to make substantive progress get undermined by corporate lobbyists looking for sweetheart deals for their industries regardless of the consequences?
Fossil fuel use must be curtailed or we don't have a chance. Leave it in the ground.
Contact your representatives and express your concerns.In the meantime you can reduce your own consumption, of everything. I'd also suggest you get that garden planted and your compost heap started!
Climate Change: Dire Consequences for California's Agriculture over on Celsias
Fossil fuel use must be curtailed or we don't have a chance. Leave it in the ground.
Contact your representatives and express your concerns.In the meantime you can reduce your own consumption, of everything. I'd also suggest you get that garden planted and your compost heap started!
Climate Change: Dire Consequences for California's Agriculture over on Celsias
Tuesday, 10 March 2009
This Dusty ole Dust... The west is drying up
"So long, it's been good to know yuh.This dusty old dust is a-gettin' my home,
And I got to be driftin' along." - Woody Guthrie
Are you one of the 25 million who depends on Lake Mead or Lake Powell for your electricity or your water?
Researchers at San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggest that Lake Mead faces a 50% chance of drying up by 2021 if the drought continues and water use keeps rising.
By 2017 Lake Mead will likely not be able to produce hydropower any longer.
Lake Mead and Lake Powell are both half full.
read more about the Scripps Research
Check OpenAlex for more on the drying of the west.
Friday, 29 February 2008
Research tidbit - Lake Mead
Researchers at San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography suggest that Lake Mead faces a 50% chance of drying up by 2021 if the drought continues and water use keeps rising. By 2017 Lake Mead will likely not be able to produce hydropower any longer. Lake Mead and Lake Powell are both half full. 25 million people in seven states rely on these lakes for water management.
Thanks to the National geographic website for the picture. Please click on the post title "Research tidbit - Lake Mead" to go to a more detailed discussion of this research.
Sunday, 24 February 2008
Corn ethanol and Water in the US Part 4 - by Robb
Efficiency and emissions in personal transport in the US
In the US, petroleum is primarily used in the transportation sector, 14 million barrels per day of the 20.6 mb/day consumed in 2006. In 2005 average fuel economy for all passenger cars was 22.9mpg, up from the 1990 average of 20.3mpg, for other 2-axle 4 tire vehicles, SUV’s, light trucks, vans and the like it was 16.2mpg, up from the 1990 average of 16.1mpg! 15 years of virtually no progress.
If we use a figure of 20mpg, roughly midway between the two figures above, for all light vehicles and the average distance travelled by the typical household of 24,800 miles multiplied by 104,700,000 households, we can calculate the average fuel used to be 1,240 gallons/household with a total for all households of 129,828 million gallons which breaks down to 3,091 million barrels of transportation fuel/year or 8.5 million barrels/day. (Rutledge 2006)
A standard of 40 mpg, easily achieved with current technology, would half that figure to 4.25 million barrels/day. That would be a reduction of GHG emissions of 50% from this sector which accounts for 20% of US GHG emissions, a total US GHG emissions reduction of 10%.
Ethanol, Energy, and Emissions
Corn grain ethanol only reduces GHG’s by 12% compared to gasoline with a meager 25% net energy gain, one of the lowest ratios of all biofuels. (Food and Water Watch 2007) In addition, ethanol has a more negative effect on air, water and soil quality compared to biodiesel. A study based on the 2005 crop from two institutions based in the heart of the corn belt, University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College, determined:
“In 2005, 14.3% of the US corn harvest was processed to produce 1.48x1010 liters of ethanol energetically equivalent to 1.72% of US gasoline usage...... Devoting all 2005 US corn and soybean production to ethanol and biodiesel would have offset 12% and 6% of US gasoline and diesel demand, respectively. However, because of the fossil energy required to produce ethanol and biodiesel, this change would provide a net energy gain equivalent to just 2.4% and 2.9% of US gasoline and diesel consumption, respectively.”
So referring back to the gasoline use figures mentioned earlier, and applying the 12% offset
.12 offset x 129,828,000,000 gallons = 15,579,360,000 gallons x .024 net energy gain = 373,905,000 gallons x .12 emissions reduction = 44,869,000 gallons
So for giving up the entire 2005 crop to ethanol the emissions from just 44,869,000 gallons of gasoline would have been offset, .035% of total usage in the sector which is responsible for 20% of overall GHG emissions resulting in a total reduction of .7%
There is much dissension on this issue. A 1995 USDA study found corn ethanol to have a net energy value 3X that found by ethanol dissenter, David Pimentel, and also compared many other studies. Results for net energy values of corn ethanol ranged from a low of -33,517 btu/gal (Pimentel) up to a high of +25,653 btu/gal.
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change estimates corn ethanol reduces emissions 20 to 30% compared to gasoline. If the more optimistic figure were used in the formula, using the same net energy gain, emissions reductions comparable to cutting 112,172,000 gallons of gasoline would result. This is .086% of total usage which would result in an overall US GHG reduction of 1.72% This is still a very small improvement in the GHG emissions situation in the US compared to improvements to be gained from higher fuel efficiency standards.
In the US, petroleum is primarily used in the transportation sector, 14 million barrels per day of the 20.6 mb/day consumed in 2006. In 2005 average fuel economy for all passenger cars was 22.9mpg, up from the 1990 average of 20.3mpg, for other 2-axle 4 tire vehicles, SUV’s, light trucks, vans and the like it was 16.2mpg, up from the 1990 average of 16.1mpg! 15 years of virtually no progress.
If we use a figure of 20mpg, roughly midway between the two figures above, for all light vehicles and the average distance travelled by the typical household of 24,800 miles multiplied by 104,700,000 households, we can calculate the average fuel used to be 1,240 gallons/household with a total for all households of 129,828 million gallons which breaks down to 3,091 million barrels of transportation fuel/year or 8.5 million barrels/day. (Rutledge 2006)
A standard of 40 mpg, easily achieved with current technology, would half that figure to 4.25 million barrels/day. That would be a reduction of GHG emissions of 50% from this sector which accounts for 20% of US GHG emissions, a total US GHG emissions reduction of 10%.
Ethanol, Energy, and Emissions
Corn grain ethanol only reduces GHG’s by 12% compared to gasoline with a meager 25% net energy gain, one of the lowest ratios of all biofuels. (Food and Water Watch 2007) In addition, ethanol has a more negative effect on air, water and soil quality compared to biodiesel. A study based on the 2005 crop from two institutions based in the heart of the corn belt, University of Minnesota and St. Olaf College, determined:
“In 2005, 14.3% of the US corn harvest was processed to produce 1.48x1010 liters of ethanol energetically equivalent to 1.72% of US gasoline usage...... Devoting all 2005 US corn and soybean production to ethanol and biodiesel would have offset 12% and 6% of US gasoline and diesel demand, respectively. However, because of the fossil energy required to produce ethanol and biodiesel, this change would provide a net energy gain equivalent to just 2.4% and 2.9% of US gasoline and diesel consumption, respectively.”
So referring back to the gasoline use figures mentioned earlier, and applying the 12% offset
.12 offset x 129,828,000,000 gallons = 15,579,360,000 gallons x .024 net energy gain = 373,905,000 gallons x .12 emissions reduction = 44,869,000 gallons
So for giving up the entire 2005 crop to ethanol the emissions from just 44,869,000 gallons of gasoline would have been offset, .035% of total usage in the sector which is responsible for 20% of overall GHG emissions resulting in a total reduction of .7%
There is much dissension on this issue. A 1995 USDA study found corn ethanol to have a net energy value 3X that found by ethanol dissenter, David Pimentel, and also compared many other studies. Results for net energy values of corn ethanol ranged from a low of -33,517 btu/gal (Pimentel) up to a high of +25,653 btu/gal.
The Pew Center on Global Climate Change estimates corn ethanol reduces emissions 20 to 30% compared to gasoline. If the more optimistic figure were used in the formula, using the same net energy gain, emissions reductions comparable to cutting 112,172,000 gallons of gasoline would result. This is .086% of total usage which would result in an overall US GHG reduction of 1.72% This is still a very small improvement in the GHG emissions situation in the US compared to improvements to be gained from higher fuel efficiency standards.
Saturday, 23 February 2008
Corn ethanol and Water in the US Part 3 - by Robb
Supply side solutions?
New major sources of groundwater are out of the question as many aquifers are in serious decline, the Oxnard-Mugu aquifer system in southern California, Denver basin bedrock aquifers, the Oglalla aquifer in the midwest, the Odessa aquifer in eastern Washington, the list goes on. But what about new dams and reservoirs?
To supply the water exhausted region of Odessa, the state of Washington proposed more diversion, dams, and reservoirs to store Columbia river water at a cost of up to $3 billion per site. The Columbia Institute for Water Policy concluded:
“Construction of reservoirs, canals, pump stations, pipelines and laterals would be exceptionally expensive – far beyond what is affordable to local farms or even within the range of reasonable subsidy by state or federal government.....Time ran out for the Odessa subarea long ago, when farmers chose to ignore the consequences of over-pumping and the use of improperly constructed wells.”
This lesson has been learned in Spain as pointed out by the WWF freshwater report “Rich countries, Poor water”
“Spain, consuming nearly 35 percent of it’s long term renewable resource is the third most water stressed nation of Europe”
This despite having more dams per capita than any other nation combined with large scale diversion projects to support subsidized agriculture. This supply side strategy has led to more water shortage rather than less. The Spanish National Hydrological Plan for dams, reservoirs and diversions put into place in 2001 sparked inter-regional conflict over water and the 23 billion euro project was scrapped in 2004 in favor of expanding the desalination capacity of the country.(WWF Freshwater report)
Expensive and energy intensive to operate, desalination plants are also labour intensive to run and maintain. The largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere opened in Tampa Bay and closed within 6 weeks of opening for a $29million upgrade. (Robert Glennon 2007)
Reuse of municipal effluent is a growing resource but does not offer nearly the amount of water necessary for such a large ethanol industry expansion and there are unknown health problems that make that supply questionable. It is typically used for urban irrigation.
There are currently no reliable supply side solutions to the water shortage facing the ethanol industry.
New major sources of groundwater are out of the question as many aquifers are in serious decline, the Oxnard-Mugu aquifer system in southern California, Denver basin bedrock aquifers, the Oglalla aquifer in the midwest, the Odessa aquifer in eastern Washington, the list goes on. But what about new dams and reservoirs?
To supply the water exhausted region of Odessa, the state of Washington proposed more diversion, dams, and reservoirs to store Columbia river water at a cost of up to $3 billion per site. The Columbia Institute for Water Policy concluded:
“Construction of reservoirs, canals, pump stations, pipelines and laterals would be exceptionally expensive – far beyond what is affordable to local farms or even within the range of reasonable subsidy by state or federal government.....Time ran out for the Odessa subarea long ago, when farmers chose to ignore the consequences of over-pumping and the use of improperly constructed wells.”
This lesson has been learned in Spain as pointed out by the WWF freshwater report “Rich countries, Poor water”
“Spain, consuming nearly 35 percent of it’s long term renewable resource is the third most water stressed nation of Europe”
This despite having more dams per capita than any other nation combined with large scale diversion projects to support subsidized agriculture. This supply side strategy has led to more water shortage rather than less. The Spanish National Hydrological Plan for dams, reservoirs and diversions put into place in 2001 sparked inter-regional conflict over water and the 23 billion euro project was scrapped in 2004 in favor of expanding the desalination capacity of the country.(WWF Freshwater report)
Expensive and energy intensive to operate, desalination plants are also labour intensive to run and maintain. The largest desalination plant in the western hemisphere opened in Tampa Bay and closed within 6 weeks of opening for a $29million upgrade. (Robert Glennon 2007)
Reuse of municipal effluent is a growing resource but does not offer nearly the amount of water necessary for such a large ethanol industry expansion and there are unknown health problems that make that supply questionable. It is typically used for urban irrigation.
There are currently no reliable supply side solutions to the water shortage facing the ethanol industry.
Friday, 22 February 2008
Corn ethanol and Water in the US Part 2 - by Robb
Corn, currently used to produce 95% of US ethanol (Food and Water Watch 2007), has a water footprint of 900 litres/kg and annually consumes about 500 billion cubic meters of water. (waterfootprint.org 2008) Growing corn is thirsty work. So is refining it to ethanol.
“...... the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy estimates average water consumption for ethanol plants is about four gallons of water per gallon of ethanol produced, indicating that water availability will be a major limitation to the potential of the ethanol sector.....” (Food and Water Watch 2007)
This major limitation has already been felt in the industry as the construction of a plant in Minnesota with a production capacity of 100 million gallons and requiring 350 million gallons of water annually was stopped due to local water shortage. (Food and Water Watch 2007) Even if the industry can reduce the water use ratio to 3:1 with new plants coming online in 2008 refining ethanol will consume 30 billion gallons of water.(Keeny and Muller 2006) The high demands for water by the ethanol industry places it in competition with domestic supply, industry, farming and livestock for water. It is clear that much more water will be necessary if the US is to meet the 13 billion gallon target proposed by the White House.
Where will all that extra water come from?
“...... the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy estimates average water consumption for ethanol plants is about four gallons of water per gallon of ethanol produced, indicating that water availability will be a major limitation to the potential of the ethanol sector.....” (Food and Water Watch 2007)
This major limitation has already been felt in the industry as the construction of a plant in Minnesota with a production capacity of 100 million gallons and requiring 350 million gallons of water annually was stopped due to local water shortage. (Food and Water Watch 2007) Even if the industry can reduce the water use ratio to 3:1 with new plants coming online in 2008 refining ethanol will consume 30 billion gallons of water.(Keeny and Muller 2006) The high demands for water by the ethanol industry places it in competition with domestic supply, industry, farming and livestock for water. It is clear that much more water will be necessary if the US is to meet the 13 billion gallon target proposed by the White House.
Where will all that extra water come from?
Sunday, 17 February 2008
What's truly needed? some details - by Robb
“That all people should have free access to air and water of acceptable quality is a fundamental human right.” (WHO 2000)
I’d like to spend several posts examining water to start with.
Clean fresh water is the most precious of resources. Second only to fresh air to breath.
Overview of current global water situation
Worldwide use of freshwater has grown at the twice the population rate of increase in the last 100 years. 1.8 billion people will be living in a condition of absolute water scarcity by 2025. For most of the world, agriculture is both the largest and most important consumer of water accounting for 70% of all water use globally. (UN Water Thematic Initiatives 2006)
“It is suggested that an additional 5,600 km3/yr of consumptive water use will be needed to produce an adequate amount of food by 2050 - i.e. almost a doubling of today’s consumptive use of 6800 km3/yr........Expanded irrigation can only solve part of the problem. Already today, there is a large scale overappropriation of river flow over 15% of the land area (Smathkin et al., 2004). In addition there is a huge overuse of groundwater beyond renewable rate......The present irrigation system is.......not sustainable.” (Falkenmark 2006)
Fully one quarter of groundwater withdrawal is not sustainable according to The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment. While 1.1 billion of the world’s people lack access to improved water supplies, 2.6 billion lack access to to improved sanitation. (UN World Water Assessment Program 2006)
“Irrigation agriculture, responsible for nearly 40% of world food production, uses about 70% of total water withdrawals.” (United Nations Economic and Social Council 1997)
In the next 30 years approximately 14% more freshwater will be needed by agriculture just to keep pace with the growing demand for food. (UN Water Thematic Initiatives 2006)
Water pollution
We are not only using too much water but we’re abusing it as well. The most common contaminants found in water, after salt, are agricultural chemicals. Just looking at one of the primary staple food crops, corn, is instructive. Corn production in the US involves vast quantities of commercial nitrogen, applied to 98% of corn fields, and commercial phospate, applied to 87% of corn fields.(USDA Economic Research Service 2002) That’s 91.73 million acres or approximately 1.5 times the entire land mass of the UK sprayed with commercial nitrogen in 2007 if the rate remained the same. Both those chemicals are eutrophying agents. They stimulate the growth of microorganisms which use up all the oxygen in the water and thus everything else either leaves, if it can, or dies. The Gulf of Mexico has a large and growing deadzone, currently 6600 square miles in size, largely a result of corporate agricultural and industrial practices resulting in polluted runoff into the Mississippi river. (Food and Water Watch 2007)
Also widely used on the the US corn crop, is atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides on earth, a known carcinogen and banned in the EU.
“The EPA acknowledges that ‘there is significant, widespread exposure to atrazine and it’s metabolites in drinking water’ and warns that exposure to atrazine can cause ‘congestion of the heart, lungs and kidneys;low blood pressure;muscle spasms;weight loss, and damage to adrenal glands....... cardiovascular damage, retinal and some muscle degeneration and cancer’” (US EPA 2006)
The EPA under the Clinton administration found that 43% of the 1million lbs/yr of chemicals produced or imported in the US have no basic toxicity data with only 7% having undergone full basic toxicity testing. One such chemical, perchlorate, a chemical used in the defense industry is showing up in groundwater.
“About 20 million Americans have rocket fuel ingredient perchlorate present as a contaminant in their tap water. No safe level has been established for the chemical which can disrupt thyroid function and cause cancer.” (WWF Freshwater Program 2006)
This is scary stuff and I’ll pause here. Next post I’ll talk about virtual water which begins to tie in water use with sustainable living.
I’d like to spend several posts examining water to start with.
Clean fresh water is the most precious of resources. Second only to fresh air to breath.
Overview of current global water situation
Worldwide use of freshwater has grown at the twice the population rate of increase in the last 100 years. 1.8 billion people will be living in a condition of absolute water scarcity by 2025. For most of the world, agriculture is both the largest and most important consumer of water accounting for 70% of all water use globally. (UN Water Thematic Initiatives 2006)
“It is suggested that an additional 5,600 km3/yr of consumptive water use will be needed to produce an adequate amount of food by 2050 - i.e. almost a doubling of today’s consumptive use of 6800 km3/yr........Expanded irrigation can only solve part of the problem. Already today, there is a large scale overappropriation of river flow over 15% of the land area (Smathkin et al., 2004). In addition there is a huge overuse of groundwater beyond renewable rate......The present irrigation system is.......not sustainable.” (Falkenmark 2006)
Fully one quarter of groundwater withdrawal is not sustainable according to The Millenium Ecosystem Assessment. While 1.1 billion of the world’s people lack access to improved water supplies, 2.6 billion lack access to to improved sanitation. (UN World Water Assessment Program 2006)
“Irrigation agriculture, responsible for nearly 40% of world food production, uses about 70% of total water withdrawals.” (United Nations Economic and Social Council 1997)
In the next 30 years approximately 14% more freshwater will be needed by agriculture just to keep pace with the growing demand for food. (UN Water Thematic Initiatives 2006)
Water pollution
We are not only using too much water but we’re abusing it as well. The most common contaminants found in water, after salt, are agricultural chemicals. Just looking at one of the primary staple food crops, corn, is instructive. Corn production in the US involves vast quantities of commercial nitrogen, applied to 98% of corn fields, and commercial phospate, applied to 87% of corn fields.(USDA Economic Research Service 2002) That’s 91.73 million acres or approximately 1.5 times the entire land mass of the UK sprayed with commercial nitrogen in 2007 if the rate remained the same. Both those chemicals are eutrophying agents. They stimulate the growth of microorganisms which use up all the oxygen in the water and thus everything else either leaves, if it can, or dies. The Gulf of Mexico has a large and growing deadzone, currently 6600 square miles in size, largely a result of corporate agricultural and industrial practices resulting in polluted runoff into the Mississippi river. (Food and Water Watch 2007)
Also widely used on the the US corn crop, is atrazine, one of the most widely used herbicides on earth, a known carcinogen and banned in the EU.
“The EPA acknowledges that ‘there is significant, widespread exposure to atrazine and it’s metabolites in drinking water’ and warns that exposure to atrazine can cause ‘congestion of the heart, lungs and kidneys;low blood pressure;muscle spasms;weight loss, and damage to adrenal glands....... cardiovascular damage, retinal and some muscle degeneration and cancer’” (US EPA 2006)
The EPA under the Clinton administration found that 43% of the 1million lbs/yr of chemicals produced or imported in the US have no basic toxicity data with only 7% having undergone full basic toxicity testing. One such chemical, perchlorate, a chemical used in the defense industry is showing up in groundwater.
“About 20 million Americans have rocket fuel ingredient perchlorate present as a contaminant in their tap water. No safe level has been established for the chemical which can disrupt thyroid function and cause cancer.” (WWF Freshwater Program 2006)
This is scary stuff and I’ll pause here. Next post I’ll talk about virtual water which begins to tie in water use with sustainable living.
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