Summary Of Lecture Held On 30th January

During this short two hours, there were three presentations made by three different professors. The three presentations were all related to climate changes. The following paragraphs will summarise what each presenter had covered on, and also some of the pointers that interest me.

The first presentation was by Professor Andrew Palmer. His presentation was about the various ways in which we can adopt to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide. There is a huge increase in carbon dioxide emission after the 'Industrial Revolution'. From then on, researchers have been sourcing for ways to reduce emission. There are several ways to reduce emission, such as using alternative energy source, fuel efficiency and also the capturing and storage of carbon dioxide to reduce dumping to the atmosphere. Solar energy can serve as an alternative for the usage of coal. People are also encouraged to utilise public transports so as to reduce the use of cars. In addition, carbon dioxide can also be captured and stored in the oceans, as liquid carbon dioxide is denser than the sea water. Lastly, Professor Palmer concluded that the reduction of carbon dioxide is global, but not a local problem. This explains why it requires the cooperation of all the countries in this world in order to tackle the problem.

The next presentation was by Assistant Professor Benjamin. Technology is a double edged sword. It provides us with greater convenience and comfort. However, it may also be harmful if we misuse it, such as the effect of terrorism. There are several reasons as to why the use of renewable power was not successful. Firstly, it was due to market barriers, where consumers have to pay for the license to install solar panels. Secondly, there was no incentive to encourage the use of renewable energy. He also added that the use of electric vehicles was a failure due to economic and technical challenges. The batteries are much heavier and expensive as compared to gasoline. He ended his presentation by stating that no technology is self sustaining, and technology is part of social system.

Lastly, Professor Bala presented on global warming. There is a sharp increase in global temperature in the recent years as a result of the growing population which leads to the increase in consumption. The increase in greenhouse gases traps the heat within the atmosphere. The Arctic temperature is increasing 2 times faster as compared to 20 years back. In addition, the sea level is increasing due to the melting of glaciers. These are evidences of global warming. He ended his presentation with the consequences of global warming, which greatly contributed to the increase in floods, droughts, and also the extinction of various flora and fauna.

The lecture has imparted some interesting facts to me. I was startled by the rate at which carbon dioxide is dumped (200 tonnes C/sec and increasing). The concept of storing liquid carbon dioxide in a membrane so as to prevent it from diffusing into the ocean and hence causing it to be acidic was totally new to me. Lastly, I was also glad that they explained the reasons as to why the various steps to reduce emission were not successful.