Global warming and Project

formulation

Dr. P. I. Ayantha Gomes

Relationship between Global warming and

Project formulation
All projects have impacts on environment and may contribute to
global warming
Therefore, it is essential to design the project to minimize the
contribution to global warming

Global warming
Rise of average
temperature of earth
(atmosphere and oceans)
Global warming and
climate change means
more or less the same, or
rather related

http://scienceblogs.com/gregladen/2015/06/07/what-does-globalwarming-mean/

Global warming
What are the causes?
What are the effects?
How to overcome?

What are the causes?

Green house gases/ green house effects

http://facweb.bhc.edu/academics/science/harwoodr/NSCI102/st
udy/GrenHous.htm

https://www.eeducation.psu.edu/earth501/content/p5_p7.html

Most are man-made reasons??)

However, there can be natural reasons too!
Solar sunspots damage ozone layer

Correlation with
temperature and
CO2 emissions!

CO2 emissions in million tons per year over the past 200
years
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Global_Carbon
_Emission_by_Type.png
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Green house gas emissions by sector

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicato
rs/ghg/us-ghg-emissions.html

http://www.seia.org/policy/environmen
t/climate-change
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Sri Lanka also 0.1

tons/capita in
2011

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 Deforestation
This is something
to do with
project
formulation/proj
ects?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/environ
ment/climatechange/11117078/UK-pays-200mto-tackle-deforestation-in-poor-countries.html

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What are the effects?

Sea level rise- due to melting of ice in polar regions

Question: Ice is
water, then how
water level increase
when it melts?
If Greenland's ice
melt sea level will
go up by7m, and
Antarctic would
increase up 5 m

https://www.intellihub.com/geoenginee
ring-deliberate-melting-arctic/
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https://drstevebest.wordpress.com/2012/06/
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Relationship between Global warming and

climate change

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This should be referred as The

Natural Water Cycle. In reality this
does not exist, as The Natural
Water Cycle is heavily modified.

o Shows the continuous

movement of water on,
above and below the earth
surface
o Three major reservoirs of
water: ice; fresh water; saline
water; and atmospheric
water
o Water cycle has a direct
influence on climate as it
involves exchange of energy
(e.g. when water condenses
it releases energy)
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Effects of global warming (continue)

Extreme
climatic/weather
events
dry areas getting
more drier wet
areas getting
more wetter
Prolonged
droughts

Hurricane Wilma, 2005

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Do we (SL) have an issue

Sri Lanka is an Island with a coast line of 1660 km
Coastal zone contains about 25% of the lands, over 30% population
and 80% of tourism
All major cities, commercial hubs in coastal areas
Thus sea level increase will have direct impacts

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If continues like this what will happen

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What could be done?

Mitigation
Adaptation
Prevent it (prevention is better than cure)

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What is needed to keep temperature increase

below 2C
Need to reduce emissions by 50% by 2050 (peak at 2020- too late to
tackle it in 2020)
Develop countries need to cut emissions by 30% by 2020 with a peak
between 2012-2015 (many countries do so)
Developing countries cut by 20% against 1990 values by 2050

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Kyoto mechanisms
Sustainable development objectives
Joint implementation
International emissions trading (between countries)

SL is a low GHG emission country and under Kyoto protocol it does not
have any commitment to reduce. But we can sell also developed
countries can invest in developing countries and help reduce GHG and
SD
Anyway we have a commitment to maintain to forest cover and
increase it, as those are CO2 sinks

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Sustainable development
Meet todays needs without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their needs
If take into consideration the current consumption of natural
resources by 2050 we may need two planets

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Conclusion
Climate change, global warming and civil projects are related
We live in a globalised society
The carbon footprint (impact on environment) from projects needs to
be minimised, as
Legislation would suggest so
Sustainability concepts- often voluntary
To get green accreditation- marketing !
Therefore, consideration of the proposed projects carbon foot print is
essential, and this is something needs to be done at formulation stage
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In 2013

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In 2015

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Thank you!

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