2002 EARTH SCIENCE VIDEOTAPES |
| |
Tape Title | Record ID |
Date Produced | TRT: |
Synopsis |
| AN ALTERNATE SCENARIO FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
| G02-003 | 1/14/02 |
00:05:47 | Until recently, experts believed that
reduction of atmospheric carbon dioxide might be the best way to
confront continued climate change. Yet in a world that, for the time
being, still is tied fundamentally to power from fossil fuels,
significant additional carbon dioxide reductions present daunting
practical challenges. But a new report from The Goddard Institute for
Space Studies highlights data indicating that greenhouse gas
emissions have dropped due to concerted efforts by governments around
the world. According to this new study, an "alternate scenario" to
understanding climate change might provide guidance for successfully
curtailing climate altering factors without requiring unreasonable
demands of both industrialized and developing countries.
|
TAPE CONTENTS: |
| ITEM (1): More Than Just
Carbon Dioxide (VO) - Methane: a simple compound made of
carbon and hydrogen, this gas comes from ordinary sources, like
cattle herds and garbage dumps. On a planetary scale it also has a
significant impact on climate. As it builds up in the atmosphere, it
traps energy from the sun like a layer of insulation.
Carbon dioxide does much the same thing-it causes global warming by
trapping heat. But as experts struggle to curtail global climate
change, a decrease of atmospheric methane might be easier to achieve
than proportional drops in carbon dioxide, affording an alternate
scenario to policy makers.
|
| ITEM (2): The Methane Connection
(Globe) - The list of traditional climate change culprits
usually begins with carbon dioxide. But a new report coming out this
month suggests that policy makers consider alternatives-alternatives
that might bring serious threats to global climate stability under
control.
Methane is one of the principal targets. Although only half as much a
factor in global warming as carbon dioxide, researchers say that it
is significantly easier to curtail, thus affording greater potentials
for meaningful effects.
|
| ITEM (3): Humble Origins,
Profound Implications - Methane is second only to carbon
dioxide in contributing to global warming. It is a naturally
occurring gas, a product of a variety of biological processes. But in
terms of climate change, it is the unnatural concentration of the gas
from human induced factors that has researchers concerned. In the
case of garbage disposal, methane enters the atmosphere as a
byproduct of decomposition. As anaerobic bacteria break down polymers
and other carbon based garbage, like the banana peel shown here,
methane gets produced as a waste gas. As it enters the atmosphere, it
reduces the Earth's ability to cool by absorbing more reflected heat
from the planet than would otherwise occur.
Other sources of methane production include rice cultivation,
industrial production, and cattle herds.
|
| ITEM (4): A Rogues Gallery of
Greenhouse Gasses - Methane is not the only greenhouse gas
that has the attention of experts. Carbon dioxide, ozone in the
troposphere, black carbon soot, aerosols, nitrous oxide, and several
types of halocarbons all contribute to climate change.
While carbon dioxide is may be the biggest single factor in
overall global warming, reduction of the other contributing gasses
may have the potential of greater climate change mitigation. The
reasons for this are complex and require additional research, but
experts say that methane and its non-CO2 counterparts not only have
the potential to cause more warming kilogram for kilogram, but also
may be more easily reduced than CO2.
|
Earth Science Gallery