Climate Change Solutions



Geoengineering

"[T]here are known knowns; there are things we know we know.

We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know.

But there are also unknown unknowns - the ones we don't know we don't know."

—Former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

Summary

There is much unknown about the ramifications of large-scale deployment of geoengineering technologies. Are they merely short-term fixes? What are the long-term implications of cloud seeding, etc? After a discussion and analysis of David Keith’s Ted Talk, students engage in an activity to investigate the pros and cons of existing geoengineering technologies.

Objective

In this lesson, students will:

• Identify the potential pros of existing geoengineering technologies

• Understand the possible implications of the use geoengineering for climate change mitigation

Assigned Student Preparation

Read:

• The entire document - Geoengineering the Climate: Science, Governance, and Uncertainty



(61 pages)

• Geoengineering (published in the Encyclopedia of Global Change)



(6 pages)

View:

• David Keith’s Ted Talk on geoengineering



|Delivery Note: Ensure all documents are still posted. |

Preparation before Class

• Ensure that wifi in the room is working; cue Ted Talk video

Homework to Collect and Grade

After watching the Ted Talk as well as completing the assigned readings, write a response to the following (2 part assignment) and embed as text under Discussion on Courseworks

A) At what temperature increase would you be willing to implement geoengineering? (Hypothesize based on readings thus far and background knowledge)

B) How would you make the case to the public that we have to act?

(Reference at least one of the assigned readings)

Opening Activity - Review of David Keith’s Ted Talk

(60 minutes)

1. Students will watch several portions of the video together and stop discuss segments. The following is a break down of Keith quotes and class discussion questions:

a. Minute 2:28 -3:14: "climate problem is solvable with increasing efficiency, upscaling nuclear, carbon capture and storage"

Question: Can we really solve the problem by mitigating it with these solutions? What is hindering us in doing it? How does geoengineering fit into adaptation and mitigation scenarios?

b. Minute 4:00 - 4:30: "Mount Pinatubo" Sulfur injection into the upper atmosphere

Question: What is the effect of sulfur in the upper atmosphere? Is this a short- or long-term solution?

c. Minute 7:20-9:00: "Cooling the poles with long-lived aerosols"

d. Minute at 9:17 - 9:46: "Geoengineering will give us extrodinary leverage...."

What does it really mean controlling the Earth's climate system? (A very bold statement from Keith - highlight this point during class discussion)

e.  Minute 9:58 - 10:50: "Global governance"

Question: What kind of policy framework is needed to govern geoengineering?

2. To provide the students with more background knowledge, Juerg will break up the discussion with slides pertaining to the following: albedo, sulfur injection, aerosols.

3. Juerg will address the following (as part of his slide presentation or the general Keith discussion):

a. Geoengineering defined as: global, unnatural, intentional

b. SO2 injection results in a reduction of precipitation globally and destruction of ozone.

c. SO2 as a byproduct of hydrogen cell use for the planes delivering sulfuric dioxide into the atmosphere

Group Activity

(30 minutes)

1. Using a dice roll (or allowing students to self-select), divide students into three groups, each assuming a stakeholder (scientists/engineers, government, or citizenry) role with the task of understanding their specific issues (as related to mitigation, geoengineering).

2. Applying the Ted Talk as well as course readings, the task is to understand the complexity of mitigation and geoengineering, to define key problems and challenges, and to reflect on the pros & cons felt by each stakeholder.

3. Each group will summarize its findings.

|Delivery Note: As always, circulate around the room to help any students who may be struggling or confused. |

Wrap-Up

(20 minutes)

1. The remainder of class should be spent discussing students’ mitigation project choice and

2. Lay out the framework of the mitigation project.

Geoengineering Albedo - Alternative LP (Wedge Game)

Summary

Students will learn what geoengineering albedo is and the role it plays in the context of global climate change.

Learning Objective

In this lesson, students will:

• Identify the principle characteristics of geoengineering albedo

• Understand how geoengineering albedo works

• Explore the advances in technology that are enabling scientists to use geoengineering to counter the affects of global climate change.

Materials

• Handouts: Wedge Game instructions

|Delivery Note: Make sure there are enough pieces to set-up for the Wedge Game. Remember that this is going to be a two-day lesson, |

|carrying over the Wedge Game into day two. |

Preparation before Class

• Ensure videos and animation sequence are queued up

• Organize the Wedge Game

Homework to Collect and Grade

TBD

Opening Activity

(10 minutes)

1. Pose the following question to the class: fad versus function? Urban and marine geoengineering albedo, Bill Gates Seed money, is geoengineering albedo similar the hydrogen power or is it a legitimate technology? Ask students to consider the following readings when framing and positing their responses: David Keith’s Geoengineering article (ucalgary.ca/~keith/.../44.Keith.2002.GeoengOxfordEncy.f.pdf); Scientific American’s “Albedo Yachts and Marine Clouds: A Cure for Climate Change?” (), and the Bill Gates article ().

2. Based on the discussion, gauge student understanding of geoengineering albedo.

Whole-Class Activity

(20 minutes)

1. Now, ask students if the following questions serve to challenge or fortify their learned opinions of geoengineering albedo as a fad to fade or functional response to climate change.

2. **Show the following overview video if it seems students could benefit from a general breakdown of albedo: Reflectivity, Albedo, Visible light, Clouds, Earth, Direct, Indirect

3. **If students understanding of albedo seems sound, go on to the following NASA video: Ice albedo feedback causes the loss of the sea ice, .

4. Ask if witnessing the effect albedo feedback can have, does it make sense to utilize this same action to protect the Earth from the affects of climate change?

5. David Keith, who you read about for homework, holds pretty strong scientifically based opinions on the use of geoengineering albedo to adapt to global climate change. Show a portion of David Keith’s Ted Talk: “David Keith’s Unusual Idea,”

|Delivery Note: Circulate around the room to help any students who may be struggling or confused. Students may have trouble |

|understanding the task, so be available to help with text-based questions. |

Group Activity

(25 minutes)

1. As time permits, begin (or at least introduce) the Wedge Game.

2. Distribute the instructions to the game. Bring up the site to use as a tool to help describe the game: .

3. Note that marine albedo as well as urban albedo should be included as wedges in the game.

4. Divide students up into groups and review the technologies that are already a part of the game and included in the Princeton instruction packet.

5. Ensure that all understand the parameters of the game.

|Delivery Note  Actual game play will encompass the entirety of geoengineering albedo day two. |

Wrap-Up

(5 minutes)

1. HW: review Wedge Game instructions. Groups should also break up the technologies on the included in the instruction packet for further research; research can be used during game play.

Geoengineering Albedo - Learning Resources/Extensions

Multimedia Lecture Resources

1. Reflectivity, Albedo, Visible light, Clouds, Earth, Direct, Indirect



Description: A brief introductory video on albedo - what it is and how it operates on Earth.

Recommended Use: As a way to visually engage students and make sure that students understand what albedo is.

3. NASA: Ice albedo feedback causes the loss of the sea ice,

Description: A very cool NASA animation that demonstrates the impact of albedo on sea ice.

Recommended Use: Clearly shows the damaging effects of albedo and the way it operates in a climate change context.

2. Ted Talks, “David Keith’s Unusual Idea,”

Description: David Keith presents his idea to use geoengineering to complement other adaptive strategies to the effects of global climate change. Keith is convinced that the problem is soluble. He links adaptation to the climate’s impact on human welfare. Showing a volcanic eruption, he states how sulfur pumped into the atmosphere quickly lowers temperature.

Recommended Use: At the end of the Ted Talk, Keith discusses how global governance is absolutely imperative for adaptive strategies to effective. In essence, we have to engineer the entire planet and this can’t be done without all countries engaged in the process. This message serves as a nice transition into the Wedge Game.

Game/Activity Resources

1. Wedges Game, (see link to Teachers Guide)

Description: Princeton University faculty in conjunction with private industry created the concept of stabilization wedges: 25-billion-ton “wedges” that need to be cut out of predicted future carbon emissions in the next 50 years to avoid a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide over pre-industrial levels.

Recommended Use: The game will be used to demonstrate how imperative it is that everyone affected (all residents of Earth) play a role in lowering carbon emissions. It’ll be important for instructors to link geoengineering to the Wedge Game. Perhaps. The concepts of marine albedo as well as urban albedo should be included as wedges. To make the game really interesting, one idea would be for these geoengineering albedo wedges to replace the established wedges as part of the game - student groups will have to explain their rationale for the replacements.

Course Reading Resources:

1. Discovery News, “Bill Gates funds seawater cloud seeding,”

Description: Bill Gates makes his first foray into geoengineering by donating $300,000 to a San Francisco based company that is working on seawater cloud seeding. The goal is to create a barrier to potentially harmful UV rays.

Recommended Use: To introduce the kind of attention geoengineering is receiving.

2. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, “Enhancement of marine cloud albedo via controlled sea spray injections: a global model study of the influence of emission rates, microphysics and transport,

Description: Modification of cloud albedo by controlled emission of sea spray particles into the atmosphere has been suggested as a possible geoengineering option to slow global warming. This study examines how this geoengineering principle could be employed globally.

Recommended use: As evidence of replacing other wedges.

3. Geophysical Research Abstracts, Assessing the Effectiveness of Urban Albedo Geoengineering, meetingorganizer.EGU2010/EGU2010-10634.pdf

Description: The use of urban albedo, including the whitening of black roofs, has been shown to be effective in reducing carbon emissions.

Recommended Use: Same as above

4. David Keith, University of Calgary, Geoengineering, ucalgary.ca/~keith/.../44.Keith.2002.GeoengOxfordEncy.f.pdf

Description: Keith examines the overall design and application of geoengineering in the context of global climate change. He reviews various geoengineering proposals such as: stratospheric aerosols, space-based shields, sequestration of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel combustion, ocean surface fertilization, and afforestation. The report reviews the various costs and benefits of the various ideas.

Recommended Use: HW before class. Great source of background knowledge.

5. Scientific American, “Albedo Yachts and Marine Clouds: A Cure for Climate Change?”

Description: Explores an interesting innovation in geoengineering that some scientist feel very confident about.

Recommended Use: An example of an innovative (but expensive) design principle for use in the Wedge Game.

6. Climate Progress, Geoengineering, adaptation and mitigation, Part 2: White roofs are the trillion-dollar solution,

Description: From the sublime to the simple… this article discusses whether or not simple design techniques will reduce carbon emissions.

Recommended Use: An example of conceptually simple adaptive strategies.

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