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NRG 173: Carbon Footprints for Climate Action in Complex Organizations Spring Term 2011 Class 1 of 20 March 29, 2011 Kelly Hoell Good Company Eugene, OR Slide 2 overview introductions overview of the course syllabus expectations content for the day sustainability context introduction to climate change discussion Slide 3 introductions name why did you take the RCM option? what do you want to learn in this class? Slide 4 Good Company sustainability research and consulting firm mission-driven, for-profit clients: government, higher ed, private sector Kelly: Environmental Science background, consultant (5+ years), LEED AP Slide 5 climate services work examples of public sector and higher ed clients Oregon University System University of Texas City of Vancouver, WA City of Portland Parks and Recreation Department examples of private sector clients regional quick-service restaurant chain high-efficiency roofing company engineering/consulting firm small and medium-sized insurance firms additional projects alternatives analysis for infrastructure and development life-cycle analysis for renewable energy development Good Company Slide 6 objectives understand the connections between energy, climate change and sustainability learn basic concepts of carbon accounting build quantitative intuition for business activities that result in greenhouse gas emissions apply life-cycle thinking to greenhouse gas emissions calculations for organizations and products; review several greenhouse gas inventories, climate action plans, and life-cycle carbon analyses Slide 7 in other words source: Sightline Institute Slide 8 What is the right question? Sense of scale? source: Sightline Institute Slide 9 syllabus review course materials -goodcompany.com/hoell/NRG173/lcc/ communicate clearly; often by e-mail all materials submitted electronically NRG 173 in subject heading of all e-mail use descriptive subject headings and document titles do your work; submit it on time; do it well -25% spelling/grammar; 25% structure; 50% content -rewrites allowed dont cheat; show up and participate bottom line: I am tough, but fair. I want you to learn. Let me know how I can help. Slide 10 lets dive in sustainability overview climate terminology overview of US and global emissions climate science short version: science has told us enough that we can get working on the details. a warning: Beware of carbon goggles! Slide 11 Slide 12 What matters most? Typical answers: Health, well being Quality of life, fun Children, family, friends, pets Job security and quality Learning/growing/knowledge/personal development Sense of purpose; doing a good job at work Sense of community/participation/belonging The well being of the planet/people/other species Beauty, art Freedom, justice, dignity Faith Slide 13 sustainability Meeting the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. source: Brundtland Commission, Brundtland Report, 1987 Slide 14 definitions, 2 limits Sustainability is: ...improving the quality of human life while living within the carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems. Caring for the Earth ...A community is unsustainable if it consumes resources faster than they can be renewed, produces more wastes than natural systems can process or relies upon distant sources for its basic needs. Sustainable Community Roundtable Sustainable development can only be pursued if population size and growth are in harmony with the changing productive potential of the ecosystem. World Commission on the Environment and Development Slide 15 definitions, 3 fairness and needs A Sustainable Society is: ...characterized by an emphasis on preserving the environment, developing strong peaceful relationships between people and nations, and an emphasis on equitable distribution of wealth. Co-op America Sustainable global development requires that those who are more affluent adopt lifestyles within the planets ecological means. World Commission on the Environment and Development Sustainable development is: the process of building equitable, productive and participatory structures to increase the economic empowerment of communities and their surrounding regions. Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility Slide 16 understanding the Sustainable Brain The Typical Brain The Sustainable Brain Slide 17 a look inside the Typical Brain The Typical Brain air pollution my daughters asthma electricity my beautiful lawn cancer my car pesticides enlarged view the food I eat reality TV local farmers big houses in the suburbs Slide 18 a look inside the Sustainable Brain The Sustainable Brain air pollution my daughters asthma electricity my beautiful lawn cancer my car pesticides enlarged view the food I eat reality TV?!? local farmers? big houses in the suburbs Slide 19 common sustainability action areas common focus areas: energy, climate, water, waste/recycling/composting landscape maintenance and custodial services purchasing (paper, computers, equipment, etc.) transportation green or high-performance buildings (LEED) performance indicators, assessment areas of integration and coordination: land use planning and transportation endangered species preservation education, training and organizational change Slide 20 So, sustainability is what matters most (consensus) the ability to make connections common focus/action areas main points common to many/most definitions: individual and collective health economic vitality current and intergenerational equity some sort of triple bottom line or three-legged stool Slide 21 environment society economy another view Slide 22 climate change: environmental impacts Slide 23 climate change: societal impacts New Orleans population 2000: 484,674 New Orleans population 2009: 354,850 Slide 24 climate change: economic impacts source: http://planetsave.com/2011/01/26/109-billion-cost-of-natural-disasters-in-2010/ $109 billion: Cost of Natural Disasters in 2010 January 26, 2011 Natural disasters caused $109 billion in economic damage last year, three times more than in 2009, with Chile and China bearing most of the cost, the United Nations said on Monday, Laura MacInnis of Reuters reports. While a decent portion of that was from earthquakes, climate change was a huge potential culprit for the rest. Landslides and floods last summer in China caused $18 billion in losses, data compiled by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) showed.The July-August floods in Pakistan cost $9.5 billion. Slide 25 climate change: economic impacts $109 billion: Cost of Natural Disasters in 2010 January 26, 2011 Natural disasters caused $109 billion in economic damage last year, three times more than in 2009, with Chile and China bearing most of the cost, the United Nations said on Monday, Laura MacInnis of Reuters reports. While a decent portion of that was from earthquakes, climate change was a huge potential culprit for the rest. Landslides and floods last summer in China caused $18 billion in losses, data compiled by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) showed.The July-August floods in Pakistan cost $9.5 billion. source: http://planetsave.com/2011/01/26/109-billion-cost-of-natural-disasters-in-2010/ Slide 26 your job as a sustainability professional help people understand how people, the planet and our ability to make a living are connected take actions that protect these three components simultaneously Slide 27 WARNING: Beware of carbon goggles! course focus: GHG emissions however, GHG-generating activities often have other environmental, financial, health or other concerns: air pollution habitat degradation/destruction fossil-fuel and other natural resource extraction pollution and depletion of freshwater supplies loss of topsoil financial constraints more Slide 28 terminology for now global warming vs. climate change carbon (or climate) footprint, GHG inventory greenhouse gases, GHG emissions, GHGs, global warming pollution, carbon carbon is inaccurate we really mean carbon dioxide equivalent (CO 2 e) emissions of all kinds life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions carbon footprint Ecological Footprint Slide 29 terminology for later climate risk, carbon risk carbon disclosure, emissions disclosure mitigation, abatement, GHG reduction adaptation climate action, climate action planning Slide 30 think high school: biological carbon cycle Slide 31 biological vs. fossil carbon cycle Land Use Changes Slide 32 please memorize this for a test at 11:45 Source: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and EIA Slide 33 please memorize this for test at 2 PM Slide 34 overview of US emissions nomenclature Slide 35 overview of global emissions Source: Vattenfall Slide 36 major take-away(s)? Slide 37 An issue of fairness? source: Union of Concerned Scientists Slide 38 CO 2 Emissions in 2002, in tons per capita source: World Bank online database, 2004 An issue of fairness? Slide 39 IPCC summary climate science (2007) observable climate changes artic temperatures and ice, precipitation amounts, ocean salinity and warming, extreme weather and temperatures anthropogenic warming fossil fuel use, land-use change, agriculture all increase greenhouse gas concentration and global warming future changes in climate global models used in climate change simulations predict larger changes for future unless something is done IPCC AR4 Working Group 2, http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/ar4-wg2.htm Slide 40 consensus on (un)certainty From the IPCC in 2007: Slide 41 Is it even possible? Can we reduce GHG emissions as needed? Yes, because: Weve done it before. Were actually doing it now (just too slowly). The first wave of work will save money. closing optimism Slide 42 Is it even possible? Yes, Part 1. Weve done it before. closing optimism Slide 43 Is it even possible? Yes, Part 2. Were actually doing it now (just too slowly). closing optimism Slide 44 squeezing value from energy (and carbon) equations to inform our thinking Emissions Carbon Intensity of Energy Energy Intensity of Economy The Economy Slide 45 squeezing value from energy (and carbon) equations to inform our thinking Source: US EPA. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990-2008 Slide 46 squeezing value from energy (and carbon) equations to inform our thinking Emissions Carbon Intensity of Energy Energy Intensity of Economy The Economy ~Stable Slide 47 Is it even possible? Yes, Part 3. The first wave will save money. closing optimism Slide 48 Will it Scale? The big question is Source: Pathways to a Low-Carbon Economy, McKinsey & Company (2009) Slide 49 Contact me with questions: Kelly Hoell kelly.hoell@goodcompany.com (541) 341-GOOD (4663), ext. 217 Thank you! Slide 50 squeezing value from energy (and carbon) Energy intensity has fallen in the US. It is not the reason for the increase in GHG emissions. Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory equations to inform our thinking Slide 51 major take-away(s)? Slide 52 Slide 53 getting to a low-carbon economy applied thinking Slide 54 creeping towardefficiency (1) were getting more efficient (just too slowly). applied thinking Slide 55 getting to a low-carbon economy applied thinking Slide 56 creeping towardefficiency (2) progress in energy intensity work cut out for us in GHG intensity of energy applied thinking Slide 57 major take-away(s)? http://www.mnp.nl/ipcc/pages_media/FAR4docs/images/SPM2.jpg Slide 58 squeezing value from energy (and carbon) equations to inform our thinking