Climate Changes and Fossil Fuel

Table of Contents

List of Figures

1 Preface

2 Climate changes and climate protection

3 Fossil fuel

4 Summary

List of literature

List of Figures

Figure 1: Metric tons of C02/Year 2006 [IEA 2008]

1 Preface

This documentation will be the first of a trilogy in which each part constitutes an independent document leaving the other parts as additional information sources.

Due to the logical development of the themes, however, all of them are interconnected, displaying the reason and history of climate changes, the biofuel and the positive aspect of the climate protection and an outlook on the biofuel in the future. The last part will be a microeconomic discussion if the production of biofuel in Germany is still profitable.

The trilogy will be as described above:

- Climate Changes and Fossil Fuel (this document)
- Renewable Energy and Biofuel (will be issued around February 09)
- Rentability of Biodiesel Plant (will be issued around March 09)

Quality assurance of the literature sources trough Internet and E-Books:

Some literature sources have been retrieved from the Internet home pages. Due to the fact that the quality of the source is difficult to check on the Internet, this is normally not a proper way of getting secured, good quality information. Therefore, all information from the home pages is retrieved from secured well-known providers, such as governmental home pages or officially incorporated or registered societies. The download date of the retrieved information is registered in the list of literature sources.

E-books are to be treated as normal books. Due to the fact that an increasing amount of books is distributed electronically, the quality will be the same as normal hard copy books. Whenever E-books are downloaded, the URL will be listed in the literature index, entailing which sources the documents were downloaded from. I would like to emphasize that E-books should not be seen as Internet home pages but as normal books.

2 Climate changes and climate protection

Due to the development of the industrialisation and the world population, the demand for raw resources and energy has rapidly increased during the last 200 years. Particularly the supply of fossil energy sources strongly increased. The growing global climate problem has correlated to fossil energy carrier in parallel to the increasing standard of living. Firstly, the negative impact on the sulphur and nitric oxide, volatile hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide through air, water and soil and secondly the high emission of carbon dioxide (CO2), originating from the use of fossil energy sources, can contribute to global climate changes [Heinloth 2003].

The first signs of oncoming climate changes, released by the greenhouse effect on our planet are already recognizable. A few examples can be listed as follows: stronger precipitation in the regions of Canada and Northern Europe, sinking rainwater in the regions of Africa, more frequent cyclones, rising sea temperatures, evanescent mountain glaciers and melting ice in the Arctic and Greenland [Petermann 2006]. According to the Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change, the annual costs used to cover global climate damages currently are about 200 billion American dollars [Stern 2007].

The majority of the climatologists agree that there is a connection between global climate changes and increasing greenhouse gases in the special CO2 in the atmosphere. Since the beginning of the industrial age in the nineteenth century, the CO2 content has increased in the atmosphere by about 30 percent [Petermann 2006]. According to the international energy agency (IEA), the CO2 emissions have increased worldwide since 1973 from annually 15.7 billion tons up to 28.0 billion tons in 2006. The United States of America (USA) and China have caused approximately 42 percent of the worldwide CO2 emissions (see Figure 1, page 4).

illustration not visible in this excerpt

Figure 1: Metric tons of C02/Year 2006 [IEA 2008]

The industrialized states in Kyoto (Japan) met in 1992 to agree on the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions, in order to reach a global reduction of the greenhouse gas and thereby counteracting against the threatening climate change. In 1997, the signatories of the climate convention held a conference and decided in an agreement to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases by an average of 5 percent until 2012 compared to the year 1990. According to the agreement, Germany has to reduce at least 8 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions until 2013 [UN 1998].

Frequently asked questions

What is this document about?

This document is the first part of a trilogy focusing on climate changes, fossil fuels, renewable energy, biofuel, and the economic viability of biodiesel production in Germany.

What are the main topics covered in this document (Climate Changes and Fossil Fuel)?

This document covers the correlation between industrialization, population growth, and increased demand for fossil energy sources, leading to global climate problems. It discusses the negative impacts of fossil fuel usage, including air, water, and soil pollution, and high carbon dioxide emissions. It also outlines the observed signs of climate change and international efforts like the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What are the two other documents in the trilogy?

The other two documents are "Renewable Energy and Biofuel" (planned for release around February 2009) and "Rentability of Biodiesel Plant" (planned for release around March 2009).

How are literature sources verified in this document?

Literature sources from the internet are retrieved from well-known providers like governmental home pages or officially incorporated societies. The download date is registered. E-books are treated as normal books, and the URL from which they were downloaded is listed in the literature index.

What are some of the effects of climate change mentioned in the document?

The document mentions stronger precipitation in Canada and Northern Europe, sinking rainwater in Africa, more frequent cyclones, rising sea temperatures, vanishing mountain glaciers, and melting ice in the Arctic and Greenland.

What is the Stern Review Report's finding on the cost of climate change?

The Stern Review Report estimates the annual costs to cover global climate damages to be around 200 billion American dollars.

What percentage has the CO2 content in the atmosphere increased since the industrial age?

The CO2 content in the atmosphere has increased by about 30 percent since the beginning of the industrial age in the nineteenth century.

What was the increase in worldwide CO2 emissions between 1973 and 2006 according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)?

According to the IEA, worldwide CO2 emissions increased from 15.7 billion tons annually in 1973 to 28.0 billion tons in 2006.

Which countries are the largest contributors to worldwide CO2 emissions?

The United States of America (USA) and China contribute approximately 42 percent of the worldwide CO2 emissions.

What were the goals of the Kyoto Protocol?

The Kyoto Protocol aimed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 5 percent until 2012 compared to the year 1990.

What were Germany's commitments under the Kyoto Protocol?

Germany committed to reducing at least 8 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions until 2013.

What are the European Union's goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing renewable energy use by 2020?

The European Union aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20 percent compared to 1990 levels and increase the portion of renewable energy in primary energy consumption by about 20 percent by 2020.