How Conservative Texas Took The Lead in U.S. Wind Power

Before this article, I knew almost nothing about the Wind power use in Texas. I know the basics of wind power in general, but its place in the US and Texas specifically were unbeknownst to me.

I learned that Texas now leads the US in wind power production. The thesis of this article and the most intriguing aspect of Texas's wind industry is that pure profit is the incentive that is driving the use of wind. Government incentives and R&D help, but at the end of the day, money in the hands of landowners and investors is the primary goal. Various politicians, judges, and NGOs have jumped onto the pro-wind train solely because of its profitable incentives. In 2005, then-governor Rick Perry approved a $7 billion-dollar program to increase the range and reachability of the power generated from wind farms.

This article is relevant to our class because of our discussion of renewable energy sources. Wind is one of the most widely used and one of the cheapest sources of renewable energy. This article pertains to how we can better convince conservatives to get on the right side of climate change and clean energy.

Overall, though profit and economic incentives are the most pure-of-heart or sympathetic to climate scientists, profit is a universal language. If we can create economic incentives for the use and improvement of cleaner businesses and renewable energy sources, no one (especially conservatives!) would be opposed to the right practices.

How British Columbia Gained By Putting a Price on Carbon

Before this article, I knew the general principles of carbon taxes, cap and trade techniques, yet I had no idea about British Columbia's specific policy actions regarding the price on Carbon. British Columbia, unlike its peer regions who prefer a cap and trade system, in 2008, established an economy-wide tax on carbon. This has incentivized investments in cleaner companies and industries and has disincentivized pollutant-heavy investments. BC's fuel efficiency has increased by 19% over the last few years. The price on carbon started at $10 a ton but has been increasing every year. Proponents of this tax are not trying to claim that it is the reason for BC's economic success, however, it certainly hasn't hurt the economy, which is often the fear of anti-mitigation skeptics.

This is relevant to our class because of our discussion of Global Climate Change, the effect that Carbon emissions have on it, and techniques for reducing such emissions. We've talked about mitigation techniques and people's responses to it, especially economic concerns.

This story proves that a carbon tax does not cripple the economy. If anything, it incentivizes cleaner and more efficient investments, which is better for the economy anyway. A carbon tax is a deterrent from the use of harmful energy sources, so I am in favor of such a tax. It also gives more potential spending funds for the federal government. If they were to invest the profit from the tax into clean energy and environmentally-friendly initiatives and infrastructure, this would be an effective and salient use of a more involved government. 

Phosphate: A Critical Resource Misused and Now Running Low

Pearce, Fred. “Phosphate: A Critical Resource Misused and Now Running Low.” Yale E360, 7 July 2011, e360.yale.edu/feature/phosphate_a_critical_resource_misused_and_now_running_out/2423/.

1. From our reading last week, I remembered that phosphate was an important ingredient for many fertilizers around the world. I also recall that humans have been harvesting an unsustainable amount of the resource and may become scarce in the near future.

2.From this article, I learned that phosphate is used in fertilizing fields that grow food that you and I will likely consume. A large reserve of this phosphate rock, located in the Western Sahara, has been subject to years of civil war and mismanagement. Phosphate is so effective that it only takes one ton of phosphorus to produce 130 tons of grain, which has led to its widespread use throughout the world. Although we are not currently running out of phosphorus, Dana Cordell of Linking University in Sweden thinks we could hit "peak phosphorus" production by ~2030. 

3. This article is applicable to our class as it revolves around the concepts of resource sustainability and sustainable consumption. This good, which is so vital to maintaining the world's food supplies, has been mismanaged and overused. As domestic production wanes, the U.S. is beginning to rely on external supplies from countries like Morocco. We must put something in place to regulate phosphorus production if we want to avoid a scarcity in the coming future.

4. I found this article to be slightly repetitive, but overall effective in conveying the author's overall message. I liked how he warned that although we have not reached peak production yet, we are much closer than many people would expect. This is not an issue that is commonly discussed in the media, but perhaps should be

In a Troubled African Park, A Battle Over Oil Exploration

Alexa Cotton

Pearce, F. (2014, May 1). In a Troubled African Park, A Battle Over Oil Exploration. Retrieved February 19, 2018, from http://e360.yale.edu/features/in_troubled_african_virunga_national_park_a_battle_over_oil_exploration

1. I already knew about the biologically sensitive area which Virunga National Park protects and the great biodiversity which exists within it. I was aware that in many protected areas of the world there are often rich natural resources such as oil and so it creates large conflict within those communities. This problem is oftentimes aggravated if the country or region in question is not rich in socioeconomic resources. While this article only touched upon the issue, I have done lots of reading on different methods to mitigate poaching in regions similar to Virunga National Park.

2. I learned about the conflict which occurred with the oil company Soco International and its attempt to gain access to the oil in Virunga National Park. I learned about the efforts of certain key players such as de Merode, the park warden and the effect which nonprofits can have through creating enough pressure to stop the drilling. It was very interesting to read about the tensions between park rangers and militias, park patrolling becomes ineffective 3 km past the patrolling stations because of violence from militias.  Additionally, in terms of conservation strategies there are studies which indicate that focusing on resource protection and as a byproduct excluding local communities is ineffective. It has been found that involving local communities and allowing them to be the warden of their land is the most effective strategy.

3. I found this article relevant to our class because it discussed the topic of resource management in relation to balancing environmental, economic and social capital. Soco International promised that it would raise the standards of the community through investment in its development. It also promised to not negatively impact the biologically important areas of the park. Interestingly, it was the outside actors such as the UN, UNESCO and international nonprofits such as WWF who put heavy pressure on preventing the drilling.

4. I found this article to be interesting and representative of a lot of the issues which developing countries in Africa are facing since they hold such biologically important regions but they also need resources to survive. While this story ends with a note that Soco International halted its efforts to drill, I would imagine that is not that common.  

With the Boom in Oil and Gas, Pipelines Proliferate in the U.S.

Before reading this article, I was aware of the oil boom due to the increasing use of hydraulic fracturing, and how the increased oil production was causing pipelines to begin being built. I did not know the extent of the boom, however. The oil production between 2008 and 2013 increased by 50% due to fracking technological advancements. I also did not know that there were around 1.5 million miles of oil pipelines in the US. I was not aware that 374 people had been killed due to pipeline-related causes since 1994. Additionally, I learned that pipelines account for 10% of the oil industry's fugitive methane (20 times more potent than CO2).

This is relevant to class as we just discussed peak oil and its effect on the environment and on society. The US is experiencing a recent boom, yet how far can fracking take us until we reach out peak? We have also compared Oil to other energy sources, and how oil is not necessarily a sustainable source. When we build pipeline infrastructure, we are basically committing to using oil, when switching to cleaner and better energy sources may be the superior option moving forward.

In my opinion, to set up years-worth of oil-based infrastructure is to set ourselves up for failure. Oil is already being exposed as a dirty, harmful, and antiquated energy source, so to double down on its use for years to come is ignorant and myopic. Pipelines ruin usable land for both people and other forms of industry or energy production, and the use of fracking is only making that worse.

Oil Drilling in Arctic Ocean: A Push into Uncharted Waters

1.    What you already knew:

I knew that efforts by several oil companies, and those funded by governments themselves, to drill for oil in the arctic ocean has slowly been increasing as current oil fields are getting depleted. Some of these countries include the United States, Russia, and Canada. I also knew about the problems associated with drilling the in the Arctic, in addition to those normally seen. First, it is extremely expensive and different technologies are needed to drill in that kind of environment. The area is available for use for only around 4-5 months where there is enough light, and temperatures are not extremely low. 

2.    What you learned:

Microbes in warmer climates are able to break down hydrocarbons, helping to a small extent with cleaning up oil spills. It is unknown how these microbes work in the arctic ocean, or if they even exist there given the harsh conditions. 

Around 100 million gallons of oil are still missing from the deepwater horizon spill even after cleanup. A lot of this oil is expected to have settled on the ocean floor.

Only about 20% of oil from oil spills can be mechanically cleaned up without using harmful chemicals that damage ecosystems. In the Arctic, clean-up efforts would likely tend towards in-situ burning and the use of chemicals. 

3.    Relevance to this class or topic we are covering:

This directly related to our conversations about peak oil and oil reserves around the world. As existing oil fields start running out, we are either going to have to come up with new sources of energy or find new reserves of oil. Currently, a lot of oil reserves are estimated to exist in the Arctic. Until recently, these reserves were inaccessible because of ice but now with warming sea temperatures, this ice has started to melt away, allowing nations to drill for oil. 

4.    Thoughts:

I think that this article raises a lot of issues with drilling in the Arctic, specifically focusing on the difficulties that would be faced if there were ever to be an oil spill. I think this article could have looked into possible fixes for these issues in a little more depth. It does mention new research into technologies that would help detect oil in ice but does not divulge any more details. It would be interesting to see the results of those studies, now that it has been several years since the article was published. 

Tar Sands Oil Boom Drives Push for A Northern Pipeline

Matthew Martin

Struzik, Ed. “Tar Sands Oil Boom Drives Push for A Northern Pipeline.” Yale E360, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 29 Nov. 2012, e360.yale.edu/features/alberta_tar_sands_oil_boom_drives_push_for_northern_pipeline.

1.     I already knew that tar sands are a relatively common but somewhat inefficient and not heavily utilized source for oil (in the US). I also knew that pipelines are often proposed as projects to transport oil and natural gas efficiently across long distances, but are very often strongly contested by many groups for environmental, economic, cultural, and/or social reasons.

2.     I learned that while the tar sand industry in the US is relatively small, the tar sand industry in Canada is very large and profitable. Moreover, at the time of this proposal, the oil sands industry was experiencing a massive amount of growth in Canada, which a number of oil industry executives were looking to take full advantage of. I learned that those leading many of the protests against the pipeline were members of the First Nations community, as many native Canadians were afraid that their lands and even way of life might be negatively affected by this pipeline, especially if there were to be a spill. I learned that many experts predicted that this pipeline would fail, due to the heavy opposition from various groups and disagreements with individual provincial governments.

3.     Earlier this week in class, we spoke in class about tar sands and their general inefficiency as an energy source. This article serves as an example of a country trying to utilize this resource in an economically viable way, and that tar sands are actually an important industry in areas outside of the US. Additionally, pipelines are generally one of the most debated and well-known sustainability issues. Pipelines are generally seen as very unsustainable, yet they continue to be built across the world, and are very common in the US. Both of these issues closely tie into the discussion of the oil industry we’ve had in class.

4.     I thought this article was interesting and did a good job of explaining through examples how pipeline projects (and the oil industry) can have effects on the environment, the economy, and social issues. This article was written in 2012, so I did some research to see what came of this proposal. After being hotly debated, this proposal was eventually officially blocked by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. I think the author was right to be wary of the power that vested interests in the Canadian oil industry might hold, but I am not too surprised that it got blocked, considering the huge opposition and clear evidence that pointed towards the high possibility of very negative environmental and social effects.