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Climate Change and Travel Plans
Robert MulvaneyWilliam RayRod Downie
TfW Network Breakfast12 June 2007
Contents
1. Climate Change – The evidence from Antarctica
2. BAS Carbon Reduction Strategy3. BAS Cambridge Site Travel Plan
Variations of the Earth’s surface temperature for the past 140 years – meteorological records
IPCC 2002
The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
Carbon Dioxide / Mauna Lau, Hawaii
310
320
330
340
350
360
370
380
1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005
Year
CO
2 /
pp
m
Extraction produces about 100mL air per kg ice
Stable Isotopes course, 2007
-40
-35
-30
-25
-20
3 2 1 0-250
-200
-150
-100
D18
O
Depth from surface /m
18O
‰ (o
xygen
isoto
pes
)
D ‰
(de
uteriu
m o
r hyd
rogen
isoto
pes
)
Dyer Plateau, Antarctic Peninsula
Seasonal cycles in 18O and D in a shallow ice core
Annual layer Summer
Winter
European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA)
• Dome C: aimed to collected oldest ice• Drilling finished in December 2004• Depth of 3270m (i.e. 2 miles of ice core!) • 800,000 years of climate history (almost
2 times older than previous oldest ice) 0 2500
kilometres
Deuterium/Hydrogen ratio of Dome C ice
Siegenthaler et al., Science (2005)Petit et al., Nature (1999)
CO2 concentration in Dome C ice
CO2 concentration in Vostok ice
160
320
240
220
200
180
CO
2 (
ppm
)
300
280
260
Deuterium/Hydrogen ratio of Dome C ice
600,000 400,000 200,000 100,000300,000500,000700,000 Presentyears ago
-460
-360
-380
-400
-420
-440
D (
per
mil)
Temperature and carbon dioxide have been closely linked over the past 750 000 years
Glacial
Interglacial
Today 380
Modern day CO2 level and rate of change is unprecedented over the last 750 000 years
1000years ago
Temperature from Vostok iceCO2 in Vostok ice
150
CO2 in Law Dome iceCO2 at Mauna Loa, Hawaii
Etheridge et al., JGR (1996)Petit et al., Nature (1999)
650
150,000 100,000 50,000years AD
20001500
Tem
per
atur
e ch
ange
(oC
)
CO
2 (
ppm
)
4
-10
0
2
-2
-4
-6
-8
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
200
2006: 380 ppmIncreasing at 2 ppm per year
Lowest possible stabilisation by 2100
50% chance of limiting global warming to 2oC
“Business as usual” CO2 level by 2100
Double pre-industrial
CO2 level
“Dangerous” climate change likely
Fastest rate of change:
30 ppm increase over 1000 years
30 ppm increase over last 17 years
Energy
CO2
76%
11% 9%
4%4% +
What is in the Carbon Reduction Strategy:• Do better accounting, monitoring and reporting • Educate staff • Make operational changes (no work impact)• Install energy efficiency upgrades & retrofits• Install Renewable and alternative energy • Develop innovative science infrastructure
• Reduce scale/intensity of operations X• Use alternative fuels X• Buy outside carbon offsets X
What is the impact of the Strategy?
• >20% less CO2 from Cambridge & Antarctic Stations by 2012• >5% less CO2 from ships by 2012• 7-9% less CO2 overall
• Transport – Carbon accounting & budgets by division– All new purchases to be ‘best of breed’– Staff education – video conferencing– Retrofits to ships– More innovative science infrastructure
• Aim: to encourage the use of sustainable travel options and to reduce our carbon footprint
• Sits within BAS’s EMS (ISO 14001)• Agreed October 2006• Action Plan with Short, Medium and Long Term goals
Cambridge Site Travel Plan
• Video-conferencing e.g. NERC Green Teammeetings, Antarctic Tourism Meeting-Hobart
• Travel information on web and staff inductions• BAS Bicycle Users Group • Lift-share database
Cambridge Site Travel Plan
• Web based lift-share scheme:
BAS staff sharing lift from Welwyn 3 days weekReduces combined mileage by 210 miles/ weekCombined carbon reduction (11 to 7.7 tonnes p/a)
• Widen scope to High Cross site users
BAS Lift-Share Database
• Greenhouse gases and climate have been closely correlated for at least the last 750 000 years, but today’s level of GH gases are unprecedented
• BAS Carbon Reduction Strategy - 7-9% less CO2 by 2012 across our operations
• Site travel plan an integral part of EMS at BAS Cambridge
Summary