greenhouse geoengineering
DESCRIPTION
Greenhouse geoengineeringTRANSCRIPT
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 1 / 17
South Spain success story
REFLECTIVE PLANET(Climatic Geo-engineering Solutions S.L.)
Greenhouse Geo-engineering:
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 2 / 17
Climate facts
It is likely that global warming will exceed 2°C this century, up to6ºC in worst scenarios…
… unless global greenhouse gas emissions are cut by at least …
… 50% of 1990 levels by 2050, and by more thereafter.
PLAN B MIGHT BE UNAVOIDABLE:
CLIMATE GEO-ENGINEERING
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 3 / 17
MAKING THE EARTH MORE REFLECTIVE
They address the root cause of climate change by
removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere
CDR - Carbon dioxide removal techniques
Techniques attempt to offset the effects of
increased GHGs concentrations by reducing the net solar radiation absorbed by the Earth
SRM - Solar radiation management
Climate Geo-engineering: 2 main strategies
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 4 / 17
15%
Albedo
30%
Planetary albedo
198
+2,3
W/m2
Net Incoming Radiation
235 Wm2
EARTH’S GLOBAL ENERGY BUDGET and THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Climate Geo-engineering: overview
SRM CDR
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 5 / 17
Climate Geo-engineering: overview
Current geoengineering proposals
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 6 / 17
GREENHOUSE GEO-ENGINEERING = SRM + CDR
Almería pilot-scale trial: empiric observations of a unique
30yr geoengineering experiment in the widest
greehouses land cover in the world
Main 2 advantages over other SRM:
All other SRM do nothing to capture CO2:
Greenhouses Geo-engineering: feasible strategy
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 7 / 17
Small scale intervention: local and regional climate effects
Suitable for extra protection of highly vulnerable farmland
Technology is fully formed: feasible and ready to be put into operation
Minor uncertainties regarding its effectiveness, costs, and environmental impacts
(compared to other SRM)
Ecological and sustainability issues well know: OPTIMIZATION of the South Spain
model
Quickly deployed over existing farmland: no land use conflict
Fairly quick and easy deployment (1 yr) and rapidly effective: short term targeted
cooling on sensitive human settlements (few years)
Easy and profitable implementation, maintenance through agricultural income: ZERO
EXTRA COST PER YEAR AND UNIT OF CO2 OFFSET
Other advantages: easier acceptability determined by social, legal and political issues as well as by scientific and technical factors.
Greenhouses Geo-engineering: feasible strategy
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 8 / 17
South Spain miracle: the success of a model
Greenhouses Geo-engineering: profitable strategy
Prior to 70s: the poorest province in Spain
30,000 has of newly irrigated crops in semi-desert land
3 millions tons of horticultural products
>2 € billion worth of crops for EU markets
30,000 local farmers
30 million wages attract inmigrants
from 200 nationalities
Development of innovative
auxiliary agroindustry
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 9 / 17
Carbon capture by biomass growth: 10TCO2/ha yr
Potential for Biomass Energy Plants
Important contribution to mitigating global climate change
Farmland maintained: no conflict with land use, food
production or local income
No reduction of crop yield compared to conventional
mitigation
Advantages over CDR:
Greenhouses Geo-engineering
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 10 / 17
“Surface air temperature cooling trend and negative radiative forcing due to land use change towards greenhouse farming in southeastern Spain”
Campra et al.UNIVERSITY OF ALMERIA (SPAIN)
Journal of Geophysical Research, 113. 2008
Peer reviewed by the AGU (American
Geophysical Union)
NASA Terra Satellite
Greenhouses Geo-engineering – tested efficacy
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 11 / 17
INM Control stations in SE Spain
MALAGA (MA)
GRANADA (GR)
MURCIA (MU)
ALMERIA (AL)
Agroclimatic stations in Campo de Dalias
Almeria
LAS PALMERILLAS (PAL)
MOJONERA (MOJ)
PAL
MOJ200 Km
5 Km
Greenhouses Geo-engineering – proved effects
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 12 / 17
Surface Temperature series
Average in control stations (SE Spain): +0.5 ºC/ decade warming trend
Average in GH stations: -0.3 ºC/ decade cooling trend
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Greenhouses Geo-engineering – proved effects
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 13 / 17
Annual evolution of albedo Terra Satelite MODIS data
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40
30/1
2
09/0
119/0
1
29/0
1
08/0
218/0
2
28/0
2
10/0
320/0
3
30/0
3
09/0
419/0
4
29/0
4
09/0
519/0
5
29/0
5
08/0
618/0
6
28/0
6
08/0
718/0
7
28/0
7
07/0
817/0
8
27/0
8
06/0
916/0
9
26/0
9
06/1
0
16/1
026/1
0
05/1
1
15/1
125/1
1
05/1
2
15/1
225/1
2
04/0
1
day
Alb
ed
o
Greenhouse (GH)
Pasture (P)
diffeence GH-P
+10 % difference in reflectivity
Greenhouses Geo-engineering – proved effects
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 14 / 17
SURFACE ENERGY BUDGET
Mean annual incoming and reflected solar UV-visible radiation (in watts/ hectare)
GREENHOUSE SURFACE WITHOUT GH SURFACE
580.000 380.0001,9 millions 1,9 millions
NET REDUCTION IN -200,000 Watts/ ha yr OF SOLAR INCOMING ENERGY IN GREENHOUSES AREA
Greenhouses Geo-engineering – proved effects
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 15 / 17
Greenhouses Geo-engineering: Summary
A feasible, cost effective technology for delaying warming
impact in human settlements: urban and farmland
Supported by 30 years of the unique experimental
evidence of greenhouse farming in southeastern Spain
Effective cooling at local or regional scales
Carbon dioxide removal by biomass growth
With limited, affordable and well known impacts on the
environment
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 16 / 17
Global surface albedo Geo-engineering could delay expected climate change damage for 60 years,
KEY ISSUE:
Long enough for:
CO2 emissions abatement through mitigation measures
local adaptative countermeasures to be developed
Post-Kyoto agreements to allow for THERMAL CREDITS based on CO2 offset equivalence of surface albedo
enhancement can then be proposed along with financing mechanisms
Main goal: save time to achieve carbon removal
ReflectivePlanetNovember 2009 17 / 17
Greenhouses Geo-engineering media impact