JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN AWAM DAN STRUKTUR

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN DAN ALAM BINA

KKKH 4284 PERANCANGAN BANDAR LESTARI

SEMESTER 2 2013/2014

TASK 6: GLOBAL WARMING

NAME : YONG SIEW FENG

NO. MATRIC : A133075

LECTURER : Prof. Ir. Dr. RIZA ATIQ ABDULLAH BIN O.K. RAHMAT

Dr. MUHAMAD NAZRI BIN BORHAN

Supposed you are living in a coastal city. The city administrator has noticed that the mean

sea level has been rising for the past 50 years. The raising is small but over a long period

of time it may cause problems in the city centre as the level of that part of the city is quite

low. If you are hired as a consultant, write a plan of action on what can be done to reduce

or mitigate the problems.

Your report must include Mitigation and Adaptation measures.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Current sea level rise is about 3 mm/year worldwide. According to the US National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), "this is a significantly larger rate

than the sea-level rise averaged over the last several thousand years", and the rate may be

increasing. This rise in sea levels around the world potentially affects human populations

in coastal and island regions and natural environments like marine ecosystems. Two main

factors contribute to observed sea level rise. The first is thermal expansion: as ocean

water warms, it expands. The second is from the melting of major stores of land ice like

glaciers and ice sheets. Global warming also has an enormous impact with respect to

melting glaciers and ice sheets. Higher global temperatures melt glaciers such as the one

in Greenland, which flow into the oceans, adding to the amount of seawater. A large rise

(on the order of several feet) in global sea levels poses many threats. According to the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “such a rise would inundate coastal

wetlands and lowlands, erode beaches, increase the risk of flooding, and increase the

salinity of estuaries, aquifers, and wetlands.”

Sea level rise is one of several lines of evidence that support the view that the climate has

recently warmed. The global community of climate scientists confirms that it is very

likely human-induced (anthropogenic) warming contributed to the sea level rise observed

in the latter half of the 20th century. So there is necessary for a consultant to identify a

plan of action to reduce or mitigate the problems.

2.0 MITIGATION

2.1 Energy Conservation

Energy conservation refers to reducing energy through using less of an energy service.

Energy conservation differs from efficient energy use, which refers to using less energy

for a constant service. For example, driving less is an example of energy conservation.

Driving the same amount with a higher mileage vehicle is an example of energy

efficiency. Energy conservation and efficiency are both energy reduction techniques.

Even though energy conservation reduces energy services, it can result in increased,

environmental quality, national security, and personal financial security. It is at the top of

the sustainable energy hierarchy.

Term energy conservation refers to different methods and processes that have the main

purpose in reducing the total amount of energy that is currently being used by industry,

households and various other sectors of our society. Energy conservation is important

from many different perspectives. Energy conservation methods are also extremely

important from the environmental point of view because we are still heavily dependent

on fossil fuels, and by reducing our energy needs we are also reducing the global level of

greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and global warming. There

are various ways on which you can contribute to energy conservation.

a. Promoting customer rebates for energy efficiency.

b. Making all municipal buildings energy efficient.

c. Creation of green space and park out of city

d. Planning for the car with odd and even number in alternative days.

e. Not always using your car, instead choosing either walking or riding the bike.

There is wide range of energy sources that provide energy needs with minimal impact on

the environment through using technologies with high energy-conversion efficient

designs. However, the use of these resources in an environmentally acceptable manner

while providing for the needs of growing populations and developing economies is a

great challenge. The following are the main sources of energy:

a. Solar Energy

Solar energy refers to the conversion of the sun’s rays into useful forms of energy, such

as electricity or heat. The amount of solar radiation a location receives depends on a

variety of factors including geographic location, time of day, season, local landscape, and

local weather. Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, is harnessed using a

range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, solar photovoltaics, solar

thermal electricity, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis. When converted to

thermal (or heat) energy, solar energy can be used to:

Heat water – for use in homes, buildings, or swimming pools.

Heat spaces – inside homes, greenhouses, and other buildings.

Solar energy can also be converted into electricity:

Photovoltaic (PV) or solar cells change sunlight directly into electricity.

Concentrating Solar Power Plants generate electricity by using the heat from solar

thermal collectors to heat a fluid which produces steam. The steam is used to

power a turbine and generate electricity.

b.Wind Energy

Wind is simply air in motion. Winds are created by the sun's uneven heating of the

atmosphere in combination with the irregular surface of the earth and the earth's rotation.

These winds can be "harvested" using wind turbines and used to make electricity. The

force of the wind makes the wind turbine blades spin, and the energy of this motion is

converted into electricity by a generator. Wind turbines, like windmills, are mounted on

atower to capture the most energy. At 100 feet (30 meters) or more aboveground, they

can take advantage of the faster and less turbulent wind. Turbines catch the wind's energy

with their propeller-like blades. Wind turbines can convert the energy in the wind into

mechanical power that can be used for a variety of activities like pumping water. Wind

turbines can also use generators to convert wind energy into electricity. Several

electricity providers today use wind plants to supply power to their customers. Wind

energy is a free, renewable resource. Its use does not affect its future supply.

c. Biomass Energy

The term "biomass" refers to raw organic material used to generate a number of energy

resources, including heat, liquid or gaseous fuels, and electricity. Chemical energy stored

in biomass can be converted to heat through combustion (burning). Biomass can be

converted to liquid or gaseous fuels or can be used to generate electricity in the same way

that coal is used. The electricity generated can be sent to energy consumers via electric

transmission systems. These applications can be at a small scale (e.g., to cook or make

hot water in individual buildings) or at a large scale (e.g., to generate ethanol, biodiesel,

biogas, or electricity for general distribution.

d.Hydrokinetic Energy

Hydrokinetic energy is the energy that can be captured from flowing water that occurs in

rivers or ocean currents. This includes ocean wave energy, tidal energy, river in-stream

energy, and ocean current energy. Hydro is also a flexible source of electricity since

plants can be ramped up and down very quickly to adapt to changing energy demands.

However, damming interrupts the flow of rivers and can harm local ecosystems, and

building large dams and reservoirs often involves displacing people and wildlife. Once a

hydroelectric complex is constructed, the project produces no direct waste, and has a

considerably lower output level of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) than fossil

fuel powered energy plants.

2.2 Transportation

The transportation sector includes the movement of people and goods by cars, trucks,

trains, ships, airplanes, and other vehicles. The majority of greenhouse gas emissions

from transportation are CO2 emissions resulting from the combustion of petroleum-based

products, like gasoline, in internal combustion engines. The largest sources of

transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions include passenger cars and light-duty

trucks, including sport utility vehicles, pickup trucks, and minivans. These sources

account for over half of the emissions from the sector. The remainder of greenhouse gas

emissions comes from other modes of transportation, including freight trucks,

commercial aircraft, ships, boats, and trains as well as pipelines and lubricants. Relatively

small amounts of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are emitted during fuel

combustion. In addition, a small amount of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions are

included in the transportation sector. These emissions result from the use of mobile air

conditioners and refrigerated transport. Transportation planners should assess and

regularly monitor regional transportation system vulnerabilities to climate impacts,

design new transportation projects to be resilient to end-of-century sea-level rise, and

prioritize retrofits for existing infrastructure for assets that are of significant regional

economic value or are irreplaceable, and those that cannot be relocated and would not

otherwise be protected. There are a variety of opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas

emissions associated with transportation.

2.3 Expand Tree Canopy

Tree canopy (TC) is the layer of leaves, branches, and stems of trees that cover the

ground when viewed from above. The benefits of trees are widely known. They absorb

CO2, produce clean air and provide shade. However, despite these ecological services,

many cities lack significant tree cover. Impervious layers of concrete and asphalt have

replaced natural ground cover and trees, significantly contributing to warming cities

through the urban heat island effect. We argue in this article that the asphalt network of

roads and parking lots—key elements of gray infrastructure—are prime targets for

garnering the benefits of the urban forest. The Action Plan proposes to maintain tree CO2

uptake at 6.23 million metric tons to ensure that the state can continue to reap the benefits

of urban forestry and proposes two important goals for 2025: increasing canopy cover to

establish a 3% emission offset and reaching 30% canopy coverage in areas with density

greater than 500 people per square mile (Florida Climate Action Plan, 2008). Reaching

these objectives will require the planting of at least 6.7 million trees a year. As a result,

3.5 million short tons of coal, or 76,000 cubic feet of natural gas, totaling $759 million

could be saved (Florida Climate Action Plan, 2008). Beyond carbon removal, urban

forests provide additional benefits. Tree canopy provides many benefits to communities

by improving water quality, saving energy, lowering ambient temperatures, reducing air

pollution, enhancing property values, providing wildlife habitat, facilitating social and

educational opportunities, and providing aesthetic benefits.

Figure: Canopy roads add shade to the public right of way and contribute to pollution

removal.

3.0 ADAPTION

3.1 Sewer and Drainage Upgrade

Titus et al. (1987) examined the replacement of a century-old street drain in Charleston,

South Carolina (Titus et al. 1987). If designed for the current 5-year storm, such a system

might be insufficient if sea level rises one foot or the severity of the design storm

increases 10 percent, necessitating a completely new system long before the end of the

project's useful life. On the other hand, installing slightly larger pipes sufficient to

accommodate climate change might cost only an additional 5 percent. In such a case,

designing for an increases in precipitation might prove to be worthwhile if these changes

occur; even if they do not occur, there would be some benefits because the system would

provide protection during the more severe 10-year storm. Wilcoxen (1986) made a

similar argument regarding the location of San Francisco's West Side Sewage Transport.

Similar situations will occur throughout the world.

3.2 Commercial Forest

Because some commercial tree species live as long as 70 years before being harvested,

forest products companies may want to reconsider location and types of species. For

example, some types of Douglas fir need at least a few weeks of cold winter temperatures

to produce seeds. Currently, companies concentrate planting efforts at the bottoms of

mountains, from which logs can be most readily transported; considering future warming

may lead them to plant further up the mountain or in colder regions.

3.3 Land Use

Purchasing Land could keep options open for water resources management and

protecting ecosystems. In regions where climate becomes drier, additional reservoirs may

eventually be necessary. However, because accurate forecasts of regional climate change

are not yet possible, water managers in most areas cannot yet be certain that they will

need more dams. Nevertheless, it may be wise to purchase the necessary land today;

otherwise, the most suitable sites may be developed, making future construction more

expensive and perhaps infeasible. A number of potential reservoir sites should be

protected by creation of parks and recreation areas.

3.4 Assessment, Research and Education

Strategic assessments seek to determine whether, when, and how one should respond to

global warming, based on what we know today. These expenditures could often be

economically justified in cases where immediate physical responses could not be. Most

of the impacts of climate change could at least theoretically be mitigated, but in many

cases, effective solutions have not yet been developed. Like strategic assessments, the

value of the research is potentially the savings it makes possible.

Efforts to prepare for climate change can only be as enlightened as the people who must

carry them out. Education must be critical component of any effort to address the

greenhouse effect because (1) there will be an increased need for personnel in some

professions, (2) people in other professions will need to routinely consider the

implications of global warming, and (3) an informed citizenry will be necessary for the

public to support the public expenditures and institutional changes that may be required.

4.0 CONCLUSION

Because of the severity of the potential impacts, it is completely appropriate for policy

makers and the public to focus primarily on measures to limit the extent to which

humanity raises the earth`s temperature in the years ahead, an issue outside the domain of

most planners. Nevertheless, past and current emissions suggest that it is too late to

completely prevent a change in climate, so we will have to learn to live with the

consequences. Although planners are sometimes frustrated by the futility of focussing

politicians' attention on events beyond the next election, global warming may be an

opportunity to help them show the voters that they are thinking about the type of world

we pass on to future generations. But whether the politicians lead or follow, they public

will have to decide the type of world we plan to achieve: If something has to give, should

our priority be to maintain current patterns of land and resource use, to avoid tax

increases, or to protect the environment? For communities and governments to

successfully counter the severe impacts of global climate change, mitigation and

adaptation strategies must be intertwined and complement each other.