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Moving Beyond Fossil Fuels Before It’s Too Late
Jul. 23, 2013 Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2013 discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by changing the way we produce and use energy Washington, D.C. — Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel energy combustion grew by 34 percent from 2000 to 2010. Leading research institutions estimate that as a consequence, global average surface temperatures will increase by between 1 and 6 degrees Celsius during this century, with the most recent estimates projecting that the high end of this warming range is the most probable if no swift action is taken. In the Worldwatch Institute’s State of the World 2013: Is Sustainability Still Possible?, contributing authors discuss strategies to overcome our dependence on fossil fuels and become strictly sustainable energy consumers. Coal, oil, and gas predominated the 20th century as sources of fuel, and allowed human productivity to increase exponentially. Yet these same resources are now polluting the atmosphere and damaging the environment, on which we depend on for human survival. The transition away from fossil fuels is not one of convenience, but of moral and ecological necessity. As University of Michigan professor Thomas Princen and his co-authors describe in their chapter, “Keep ‘Em In the Ground: Ending the Fossil Fuel Era,” in order to prevent disastrous environmental impacts, it is essential to stop the extraction of the vast majority of fossil fuels, and not just manage emissions, an ultimately futile effort. We should reserve the small portion that we do extract for essential uses and for building a renewable energy infrastructure. Researchers have shown that renewable energy sources are able to fully meet the global energy demand—as is discussed in Chapter 7—but these future power supplies do take significant energy investment upfront to build. As physicist Tom Murphy notes in his chapter, “Beyond Fossil Fuels: Assessing Energy Alternatives,” “If there is to be a transition to a sustainable energy regime, it’s best to begin it now. If society waits until energy scarcity demands an energy transition, it risks falling into an ‘Energy Trap’ in which aggressive use of scarce remaining easily-harnessed energy resources to develop a new energy infrastructure leaves less available to society overall.” “Unlike monetary investments, which can be made on credit and then amortized out of the income stream they produce, the energy investment in energy infrastructure must be made up front out of a portion of the energy used today,” says Eric Zencey, fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont and author of Chapter 7, “Energy as Master Resource.” “Politically, the most acceptable path is to finance the energetic investment not by decreasing energy use for consumption today but by maintaining energy use for consumption while increasing the total energy appropriation of the economy. But ecologically, that most acceptable path will lead to climate catastrophe.” Phillip Saieg, accredited professional of the U.S. Green Building Council, suggests that the quickest and most financially feasible way to lessen the amount of carbon being added to the atmosphere is by “greening” existing buildings to curb their energy demands. By doing this, building owners will save money, jobs will be created, and we will significantly lower the amount of carbon we are contributing to the atmosphere. Whether the movement is one to keep fossil fuels in the ground, to use them much more efficiently, or, realistically, a combination of both, it is now widely accepted that the fossil fuel age must come to an end. The good news is that development of renewable energy systems is under way. “Renewable technologies broke all growth records in recent years,” said Alexander Ochs, Director of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy program, and contributing author of State of the World 2013. “In 2011, new investments in renewables for the first time in modern history topped those in conventional energy technologies with clean energy investments in developing countries now outpacing those in many industrialized countries. These promising trends need to be accelerated, with action on all political levels. Science tells us that global greenhouse gas emissions have to peak well before 2020 if we want to avoid the danger of major climate disruptions.” Worldwatch’s State of the World 2013, released in April 2013, addresses how “sustainability” should be measured, how we can attain it, and how we can prepare if we fall short. For more information, visit www.sustainabilitypossible.org . Authors of mentioned chapters include: Shakuntala Makhijani, research associate at the Worldwatch Institute and co-author of Chapter 8, “Renewable Energy’s Natural Resource Impact.” Jack P. Manno, professor of environmental studies at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and co-author of Chapter 14, “Keep Them in the Ground: Ending the Fossil Fuel Era.” Pamela Martin, professor of politics at Coastal Carolina University and co-author of Chapter 14, “Keep Them in the Ground: Ending the Fossil Fuel Era.” T.W. Murphy, Jr., associate professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego and author of Chapter 15, “Beyond Fossil Fuels: Assessing the Energy Alternatives.” Alexander Ochs, director of Worldwatch’s Climate and Energy Program and co-author of Chapter 8, “Renewable Energy’s Natural Resource Impact.” Thomas Princen, professor of natural resources and environment at the University of Michigan and co-author of Chapter 14, “Keep Them in the Ground: Ending the Fossil Fuel Era.” Phillip Saieg, accredited professional under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council and author of Chapter 16, “Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment.” Eric Zencey, fellow of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics at the University of Vermont and author of Chapter 7, “Energy as Master Resource.” About the Worldwatch Institute: Worldwatch is an independent research organization based in Washington, D.C. that works on energy, resource, and environmental issues. The Institute’s State of the World report is published annually in more than a dozen languages. For more information, visit www.worldwatch.org . Continue reading
The Cornerstones of Advanced Biofuels
Novel pretreatment technologies are paving the way for the advanced biofuel industry. By Chris Hanson | July 22, 2013 Currently, one of the most common pretreatment methods is accomplished using steam explosion, but further advances and innovations in other pretreatment methods could diversify pretreatment options. In recent months, several breakthroughs and new approaches have been announced, one of which is ionic liquid pretreatments with butadiene sulfone. Some of the newest pretreatment innovations involve the use of ionic liquids to break apart biomass into cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Ionic liquids, or liquid salts, are being researched at both the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the U.S. DOE’s Joint BioEnergy Institute. “Initially, we wanted to find a solvent to actively separate lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose,” adds Hao Feng, associate professor at the University of Illinois. “However, we also found it is probably better to use this as a pretreatment because we can recover it, we can recycle it, and that way we can have that green, sustainable production.” Once pretreatment is complete, the temperature is increased, and the heat breaks down the solvent, forming butadiene and sulfur dioxide. The two gases are then recombined to form the original butadiene sulfone. Halfway across America, the JBEI in California is also developing an ionic liquid pretreatment. Unlike the University of Illinois’ butadiene sulfone method, the institute is utilizing imidazolium chloride with mixed feedstocks. With its pretreatment technology, the institute is able to liberate 95 percent sugar yields from biomass in less than 24 hours, recovering roughly 95 percent of the ionic liquid. Working with Idaho National Laboratory’s feedstock development unit, JBEI tested what Simmons refers to as a “witch’s brew” of feedstocks, comprised of corn stover, switchgrass, eucalyptus and pine biomass. What the researchers unexpectedly discovered was the mixtures performed better in pretreatment than single feedstocks. “Imagine if you had a biorefinery operating with ionic liquid technology that could handle any mixture that’s available regionally, be it yard trimmings, ag residues, tree residues, municipal solid waste,” says Simmons. “That’s pretty remarkable.” Currently, JBEI is working with the industry to commercialize the technology. Simmons hopes sugars produced from ionic liquids will be marketable within three to five years. The biggest steps that need to be taken, he says, are more process engineering and scaling to minimize risks. “We are working with user facilities within the national lab complex, post start-ups and big industry to do that,” he adds. “We are very excited about the future of the process.” Emerging Glycerol Pretreatment Explaining how the pretreatment process works, Simmons says crushed bagasse from a sugar processor is churned with the glycerol in a chamber. Dissolved lignin and glycerol are then pressed out, leaving the cellulose and hemicellulose. “It’s a really simple, easy process using a very cheap substance in glycerol,” he says. Other recent developments, Richards notes, include processes to purify the used glycerol for reuse and to maintain lower costs. Leaf Energy, JBEI and University of Illinois are all using different approaches to create digestible sugars, but all take aim at the same goal. “I think pretreatment is still the most expensive unit operation in biomass-to-biofuel production,” says Feng. “If you could lower the cost, including capital investment and operational costs, I think you could lower the overall cost of production. That’s why it is very important.” Simmons believes the real challenge in biofuel production lies with inexpensive, sugar production from renewable, lignocellulosic feedstocks. He says if people are able to produce those sugars with a production cost lower or equal to corn and sugarcane-derived sugars, that “all things become possible with those sugars in terms of fuels, chemicals and others.” Advanced biofuel, such as cellulosic ethanol, could play a big role in the pressing carbon debates, says Richards. He adds that with lower production costs, decreased enzyme costs and better technologies, cellulosic ethanol “has a very, very big task going forward to help reduce carbon.” Author: Chris Hanson Staff Writer, Biomass Magazine chanson@bbinternational.com 701-738-4970 Continue reading
California’s Next Innovation: Performance-Based Rainforest Conservation (Commentary)
Guest commentary by David Rothschild and Karin Burns July 22, 2013 Often misunderstood, REDD+ forest carbon offsets are a “must have” for any realistic climate-change mitigation strategy. Californians are known as innovation leaders, and once again, we are on the verge of demonstrating critical leadership. Only this time it isn’t about the Internet, social networking, reality television, venture capital or electric cars. It is about stopping tropical deforestation and supporting local communities. ‘What!?’ you say? How is the great state of California, home of bankrupt and massive, thirsty desert cities and Silicon Valley, a place that elected such juggernauts of history as Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, about to lead in avoiding tropical deforestation? Thanks to the people of California, and Arnold, in 2006 we passed the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32). As a result, this January the state launched its own cap-and-trade carbon market, demonstrating global leadership on climate change as well as opening doors to further innovation in green technologies and job creation. California now has an opportunity to again be an early adopter, offering polluting companies the chance to offset a small percentage of their carbon emissions by supporting reductions in tropical deforestation through a mechanism called jurisdictional REDD+ – Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation. Since deforestation accounts for some 15% of global carbon emissions, reducing deforestation plays an essential role in addressing climate change. Trees perform vital functions for our climate such as absorbing and storing carbon. But they are currently not valued for these services – and it is this shortcoming that REDD+ forest carbon offsets aim to address. Entities regulated under AB32 would be able to contribute to this solution by reducing a small portion of their emissions by purchasing forest carbon offsets as part of their strategies to reduce their carbon emissions. Companies and other institutions can contribute to this effort by signing Code REDD’s Letter of Support for inclusion of REDD+ in CA’s climate policy. Carbon offsets are often misunderstood. Some claim they amount to “permits to pollute,” but this is not accurate. Offsets are necessary to achieving emission reduction goals as we transition to a low-carbon economy since they are one of the only ways to address unavoidable emissions. They are part of, and do not replace, companies’ emissions reductions efforts. To be clear, we aren’t talking a huge amount. If approved, California polluters would be allowed to offset just 2% to 4% of their compliance obligations with REDD+ offsets (only 8% can be offset in total). This means that 92% of a regulated entity’s carbon emissions must still be addressed at source. Yet this 2% to 4% would play a hugely important role—demonstrating to the world that REDD+ is a viable climate solution, and empowering local communities, protecting wildlife and slowing deforestation. And since the planet does not differentiate between CO2 molecules – no matter where they originate – reducing carbon emission from tropical deforestation is still reducing carbon emissions – even here in California. Furthermore, California’s leadership in REDD+ is already catalyzing innovation, growth in California’s green jobs, technology development, and public-private partnerships – right here in California. It is not enough anymore for businesses to simply change light bulbs and make their buildings more energy efficient. We need corporate leaders to understand that sustainability and addressing climate change means taking that extra step needed to meet our 2020 emissions goals. It is time for more companies to recognize and adopt offset policies as an integral part of carbon emission reduction plans. REDD+ allows responsible companies to go beyond the reductions achievable in their direct operations and offset their unavoidable emissions by reducing deforestation. In addition to jurisdictional REDD offsets under AB32, through the voluntary market companies and philanthropists today can directly support high-quality, high impact REDD+ projects. REDD+ projects “done right” are transforming the economic incentives that lead to deforestation, protecting endangered wildlife and improving the lives of local communities. These projects demonstrate that REDD+ can bring greater value to forests while supporting the rights of forest peoples. To help stop climate change, we must greatly reduce tropical deforestation. And there has been significant progress. But to succeed, we need to find ways to bring greater value to living forests. REDD+ forest carbon offsets are one step in the right direction. Let’s voice our support and help the great state of California make an important and vital contribution. About the authors: David Rothschild (left) serves as a Principal of the Portfolio Team at the Skoll Foundation and manages a variety of key relationships with funded social entrepreneurs, domain experts, policy makers, corporate partners and co-funders. Karin Burns (right) serves as Executive Director of Code REDD and advocates for corporate leaders to address climate change by catalyzing the market for REDD verified emissions reductions through both voluntary and compliance carbon markets. Editor’s note: Mongabay Founder and President Rhett Butler served as an advisor to the Skoll Foundation on deforestation-related issues from 2010-2012. Rhett was not involved with this commentary, other than posting it on the site. Read more at http://news.mongabay…A6vpj8ycicpP.99 Continue reading
