Can Architecture Save the World

Page 1

Can Architecture Save the World?

Topics:

INTRO

Global Warming:

What?

Causes?

Consequences

Preventing

Zero Carbon Housing:

What?

Science

2016 Law

History

Positives:

Effect On Global Warming

Effect On Environment

Future

Negatives:

Cost Of Building

Destruction Of Environment For Materials

Will It Make A Difference

CONCLUSION

Global Warming

What Is Global Warming

Carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants are collecting in the atmosphere like a thickening blanket, trapping the sun's heat and causing the planet to warm up.

SOURCES

http://library.thinkquest.org/J003411/causes.htm

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/

http://www.zmescience.com/tag/global-warming/

https://koshland-science-museum.org/explore-the-science/earth-lab/processes?gclid=CMWBzPKe-rkCFRMftAod4x8APw

http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004686.html

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/grnhse.html

http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/tackling_climate_change/climate_change_explained/

http://www.climatehotmap.org/about/global-warming-causes.html

http://planetsave.com/2009/06/07/global-warming-effects-and-causes-a-top-10-list/

http://www.insidehousing.co.uk/sustainability/zero-carbon-homes-%E2%80%98too-expensive%E2%80%99-to-build/6518051.article

http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/fcons.asp

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv-shows/curiosity/topics/worst-effects-global-warming.htm

http://www.academia.edu/1740538/global_warming_and_architecture_in_20th_century_21th_century

http://www.homearchitects.com/green-architecture

http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/tp/globalwarmtips.htm

The Greenhouse Gas Effect

The greenhouse effect is a natural process by which some of the radiant heat from the Sun is captured in the lower atmosphere of the Earth, thus maintaining the temperature of the Earth's surface. The gases that help capture the heat, called “greenhouse gases,” include water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and a variety of manufactured chemicals. Some are emitted from natural sources; others are anthropogenic, resulting from human activities.

The greenhouse effect refers to circumstances where the short wavelengths of visible light from the sun pass through a transparent medium and are absorbed, but the longer wavelengths of the infrared re-radiation from the heated objects are unable to pass through that medium. The trapping of the long wavelength radiation leads to more heating and a higher resultant temperature. Besides the heating of an automobile by sunlight through the windshield and the namesake example of heating the greenhouse by sunlight passing through sealed, transparent windows, the greenhouse effect has been widely used to describe the trapping of excess heat by the rising concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide strongly absorbs infrared and does not allow as much of it to escape into space.

What Causes Global Warming

The causes of climate change is a complicated and often contentious topic. However, there is strong evidence that natural causes (e.g. variations in output from the sun) can't explain our changing climate alone. Instead, it is increasingly believed that the activities and lifestyles of the earth's human population are causing the changes.

Global warming is

primarily a problem of too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere—which

acts as a blanket, trapping heat and warming the planet. As we burn fossil

fuels like coal, oil and natural gas for energy or cut down and burn forests to

create pastures and plantations, carbon accumulates and overloads our

atmosphere. Certain waste management and agricultural practices aggravate the

problem by releasing other potent global warming gases, such as methane and

nitrous oxide. See the pie chart for a breakdown of heat-trapping global

warming emissions by economic sector.

Consequences of Global Warming

This has been the warmest decade since 1880. In 2010, global surface temperatures tied 2005 as the warmest on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Scientists say that the earth could warm by an additional 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit during the 21st century if we fail to reduce emissions from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. This rise in average temperature will have far-reaching effects on the earth's climate patterns and on all living things. Many of these changes have already begun. Scientists report that some polar bears are drowning because they have to swim longer distances to reach ice floes. Unless we take effective action now, the polar bear will likely become extinct in Alaska by 2050.

Increasing global temperatures are expected to disrupt ecosystems, pushing to extinction those species that cannot adapt. The first comprehensive assessment of the extinction risk from global warming found that more than 1 million species could be obliterated by 2050 if the current trajectory continues.

More frequent and severe heat waves will result in a greater number of heat-related deaths. In July 2006, severe heat waves in North America contributed to the deaths of at least 225 people.

Rising global temperatures will speed the melting of glaciers and ice caps and cause early ice thaw on rivers and lakes. At the current rate of retreat, all of the glaciers in Glacier National Park will be gone by 2070

Warmer water in the oceans pumps more energy into tropical storms, making them stronger and potentially more destructive. Even with storms of the same intensity, future hurricanes will cause more damage as higher sea levels exacerbate storm surges, flooding, and erosion. Hot, dry weather led to a record-setting 2006 wildland fire season with close to 100,000 fires reported and nearly 10 million acres burned, 125 percent above the decade's average.

TOP TEN WORST EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING 10. Rising Sea Level

Earth's hotter temperature doesn't necessarily

mean the Miami lifestyle is moving to the Arctic, but it does mean rising sea

levels. How are hotter temperatures linked to rising waters?

Hotter temperatures mean ice -- glaciers,

sea ice and polar ice sheets -- is melting, increasing the amount of water in

the world's seas and oceans. Scientists are able to measure that melt water from Greenland's ice cap directly impacts people in the United States:

The flow of the Colorado River has increased sixfold [source: Scientific American]. And

scientists project that as the ice shelves on Greenland and Antarctica melt, sea levels could be more than 20

feet (6 meters) higher in 2100 than they are today [source: An Inconvenient Truth].

Such levels would submerge many of Indonesia's tropical islands and flood

low-lying areas such as Miami, New York City's Lower Manhattan and Bangladesh. You can't have as much

fun in the sun when the beach is underwater. Miami, along with many other areas

around the world, is threatened by rising oceans.

9.

Shrinking Glaciers

You

don't need special equipment to see that glaciers around the world are

shrinking. Tundra once covered with thick permafrost is melting with rising

surface temperatures and is now coated with plant life. In the span of a

century, glaciers in Montana's Glacier National

Park have deteriorated from 150 to just 35 [source: New York Times]. And the Himalayan glaciers

that feed the Ganges River, which supplies drinking and irrigation water to 500

million people, are reportedly shrinking by 40 yards (37 meters) each year

[source: The Washington Post]. Montana's Glacier National Park will lose some of its

majestic beauty as surface temperatures continue to rise.

8.

Heat Waves

The

deadly heat wave that swept across Europe in

2003, killing an estimated 35,000 people, could be the harbinger of an intense

heat trend that scientists began tracking in the early 1900s [source: MSNBC].

Extreme heat waves are happening two to four times more often now, steadily

rising over the last 50 to 100 years, and are projected to be 100 times more

likely over the next 40 years [source: Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts

University]. Experts suggest continued heat waves may mean future

increases in wildfires, heat-related illness and a general rise in the planet's

mean temperature. Heat waves not only make it seem

difficult to function, they can be deadly as well. This man tried to cool

himself with a water bottle during a 2008 heat wave in New York City.

5.

Disease

Depending

on where you live, you may use bug repellent to protect against West Nile virus

or Lyme disease. But when was the last time you considered your risk of

contracting dengue fever?

Warmer

temperatures along with associated floods and droughts are encouraging worldwide

health threats by creating an environment where mosquitoes, ticks,

mice and other disease-carrying creatures thrive. The World Health

Organization (WHO) reports

that outbreaks of new or resurgent diseases are on the rise and in more

disparate countries than ever before, including tropical illnesses in once cold

climates -- such as mosquitoes infecting Canadians with West Nile virus.

While

more than 150,000 people die from climate change-related sickness each year,

everything from heat-related heart and respiratory problems to malaria are on

the rise [source: The

Washington Post]. Cases of allergies and asthma are also increasing.

How is hay fever related to global

warming? Global warming fosters increased smog -- which is linked to

mounting instances of asthma attacks -- and also advances weed growth, a bane

for allergy sufferers.

4.

Economic Consequences

The

costs associated with climate change rise along with the temperatures. Severe

storms and floods combined with

agricultural losses cause billions of dollars in damages, and money

is needed to treat and control the spread of disease. Extreme weather can

create extreme financial setbacks. For example, during the record-breaking hurricane year of 2005,

Louisiana saw a 15 percent drop in income during the months following the

storms, while property damage was estimated at $135 billion [source: Global Development

and Environment Institute, Tufts University]. Economic considerations reach into

nearly every facet of our lives. Consumers face rising food and energy costs

along with increased insurance premiums for health and home. Governments suffer

the consequences of diminished tourism and industrial profits, soaring energy,

food and water demands, disaster

clean-up and border tensions. And ignoring the problem won't make it go away. A

recent study conducted by the Global Development and Environment Institute at

Tufts University suggests that inaction in the face of global warming crises

could result in a $20 trillion price tag by 2100 [source: Global Development

and Environment Institute, Tufts University]. In

addition to the loss of life caused by Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and

Louisiana have faced the economic consequences of billions of dollars in damage

3.

Conflicts and War

Declining

amounts of quality food, water and land may be leading to an increase in global

security threats, conflict and war. National security experts analysing the

current conflict in Sudan's Darfur

region suggest that while global warming is not the sole cause of the crisis,

its roots may be traced to the impact of climate change, specifically the

reduction of available natural resources [source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer]. The violence

in Darfur broke out during a time of drought, after two decades of little-to-no

rain along with rising temperatures in the nearby Indian Ocean. Scientists and

military analysts alike are theorizing climate change and its consequences such

as food and water instability pose threats for war and conflict, suggesting

that violence and ecological crises are entangled. Countries suffering from

water shortages and crop loss become vulnerable to security trouble, including

regional instability, panic and aggression. The

conflict in Darfur has been partly blamed on stresses caused by global warming.

1.

Destruction of Ecosystems

Changing

climatic conditions and dramatic increases in carbon dioxide will put our

ecosystems to the test, threatening supplies of fresh water, clean air, fuel

and energy resources, food, medicine and other matters we depend upon not just

for our lifestyles but for our survival. Evidence shows effects of climate

change on physical and biological systems, which means no part of the world is

spared from the impact of changes to land, water and

life. Scientists are already observing the bleaching and death of coral reefs due to warming ocean waters, as well

as the migration of vulnerable plants and animals to alternate geographic

ranges due to rising air and water temperatures and melting ice sheets. Models

based on varied temperature increases predict scenarios of devastating floods,

drought, wildfires, ocean acidification and eventual

collapse of functioning ecosystems worldwide, terrestrial and aquatic alike. Forecasts

of famine, war and death paint a dire picture of climate change on our planet.

Scientists are researching the causes of these changes the vulnerability of Earth not

to predict the end of days but rather to help us mitigate or reduce changes

that may be caused by humans. If we know and understand the problems and take

action through adaptation, the use of more energy-efficient and sustainable

resources and the adoption of other green ways of living, we may be able to

make some impact on the climate change process. Coral

bleaching is only a tangible aspect of global warming's effect on ecosystems.

7.

Storms and Floods

Experts

use climate models to project the impact rising global temperatures will have

on precipitation. However, no modelling is needed to see that severe storms are

happening more frequently: In just 30 years the occurrence of the strongest hurricanes -- categories 4 and 5 -- has nearly

doubled [source: An

Inconvenient Truth]. Warm waters give

hurricanes their strength, and scientists are correlating the increase in ocean

and atmospheric temperatures to the rate of violent storms. During the last few

years, both the United States and Britain have

experienced extreme storms and flooding, costing lives and billions of

dollars in damages. Between 1905 and 2005 the frequency of hurricanes has been

on a steady ascent. From 1905 to 1930, there were an average of 3.5 hurricanes

per year; 5.1 between 1931 and 1994; and 8.4 between 1995 and 2005 [source: USA Today]. In 2005, a record number of

tropical storms developed, and in 2007, the worst flooding in 60 years hit

Britain [sources: Reuters, Centre for American Progress]. Warmer waters increase the likelihood of violent storms.

Hurricane Dolly swept over the Texas-Mexico border in July 2008.

6.

Drought

While

some parts of the world may find themselves deluged by increasing storms and

rising waters, other areas may find themselves suffering from drought. As the climate

warms, experts estimate drought conditions may increase by at least 66 percent

[source: Scientific American]. An

increase in drought conditions leads quickly to a shrinking water supply and a

decrease in quality agricultural conditions. This puts global food production

and supply in danger and leaves populations at risk for starvation. Today, India, Pakistan and sub-Saharan Africa already experience droughts, and

experts predict precipitation could continue to dwindle in the coming decades.

Estimates paint a dire picture. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

suggests that by 2020, 75 to 250 million Africans may experience water

shortages, and the continent's agricultural output will decrease by 50 percent

[source: BBC].

Worldwide droughts, like that in a village

northeast of Nairobi, expose rural communities to food shortages.

2. Loss of Biodiversity

Species

loss and endangerment is rising along with global temperatures. As many as 30

percent of plant and animal species alive today risk extinction by 2050 if average temperatures rise

more than 2 to 11.5 degrees F (1.1 to 6.4 degrees C) [sources: EPA, Scientific

American]. Such extinctions will be due to loss of habitat through

desertification, deforestation and ocean warming, as well as the inability to

adapt to climate warming. Wildlife researchers have noted some of the more

resilient species migrating to the poles, far north and far south to maintain

their needed habitat; the red fox, for example, normally an inhabitant of North America, is now seen living in the

Arctic. Humans also aren't immune to the threat. Desertification and rising sea

levels threaten human habitats. And when plants and animals are lost to climate

change, human food, fuel and income are lost as well. The red fox has been affected by rising global

temperatures.

Preventing Global

Warming (Reducing Global Warming)

TOP

10 THINGS YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE GLOBAL WARMING

1. Reduce,

Reuse, Recycle

Do your part

to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Buying

products with minimal packaging (including the economy size when that makes

sense for you) will help to reduce waste. And whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminium cans.

If there isn't a recycling program at your workplace, school, or in your

community, ask about starting one. By recycling half of your household waste,

you can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

2. Use Less

Heat and Air Conditioning

Adding

insulation to your walls and attic, and installing weather stripping or

caulking around doors and windows can lower your heating costs more than 25

percent, by reducing the amount of energy you need to heat and cool your home.

Turn down the heat while you're sleeping at night or away during

the day, and keep temperatures moderate at all times. Setting your thermostat

just 2 degrees lower in winter and higher in summer could save about 2,000

pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

3. Change a Light Bulb

Wherever

practical, replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL)

bulbs. Replacing just one 60-watt incandescent light bulb with a CFL will save

you $30 over the life of the bulb. CFLs also last 10 times longer than

incandescent bulbs, use two-thirds less energy, and give off 70 percent less

heat.

If every U.S. family replaced one regular light bulb with a CFL,

it would eliminate 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gases, the same as taking

7.5 million cars off the road.

4. Drive Less and Drive Smart

Less driving

means fewer emissions. Besides saving gasoline, walking and biking are great

forms of exercise. Explore your community mass transit system, and check out

options for carpooling to work or school.

When you do drive, make sure

your car is running efficiently. For example, keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your gas mileage by more

than 3 percent. Every gallon of gas you save not only helps your budget; it

also keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5. Buy

Energy-Efficient Products

When it's time

to buy a new car, choose one that offers good gas mileage. Home appliances now

come in a range of energy-efficient models, and compact florescent bulbs are

designed to provide more natural-looking light while using far less energy than

standard light bulbs.

Avoid products that come with excess packaging, especially moulded plastic

and other packaging that can't be recycled. If you reduce your household

garbage by 10 percent, you can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide annually.

6. Use Less

Hot Water

Set your water

heater at 120 degrees to save energy, and wrap it in an insulating blanket if

it is more than 5 years old. Buy low-flow showerheads to save hot water and

about 350 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly. Wash your clothes in warm or cold

water to reduce your use of hot water and the energy required to produce it.

That change alone can save at least 500 pounds of carbon dioxide annually in

most households. Use the energy-saving settings on your dishwasher and

let the dishes air-dry.

7. Use the "Off"

Switch

Save

electricity and reduce global warming by turning off lights when you leave a

room, and using only as much light as you need. And remember to turn off your

television, video player, stereo and computer when you're not using them.

It's also a good idea to turn off the water when you're not

using it. While brushing your teeth, shampooing the dog or washing your car,

turn off the water until you actually need it for rinsing. You'll reduce your

water bill and help to conserve a vital resource.

8. Plant a Tree

If you have

the means to plant a tree, start digging. During photosynthesis, trees and

other plants absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. They are an integral

part of the natural atmospheric exchange cycle here on Earth, but there are too

few of them to fully counter the increases in carbon dioxide caused by

automobile traffic, manufacturing and other human activities. A single tree

will absorb approximately one ton of carbon dioxide during its lifetime.

9. Get a Report Card from Your Utility Company

Many utility

companies provide free home energy audits to help consumers identify areas in

their homes that may not be energy efficient. In addition, many utility

companies offer rebate programs to help pay for the cost of energy-efficient

upgrades.

10. Encourage Others to

Conserve

Share

information about recycling and energy conservation with your friends, neighbours

and co-workers, and take opportunities to encourage public officials to

establish programs and policies that are good for the environment.

First Look

Global Warming