Carbon uptake/storage & RE

Question 1

For the 2011-2020 year, global annual average for co2 was how much for fossil fuel and land use change?

Answer 1

35 GtCo2/yr
4.1 +- 2.6 GtCo2/yr (negative trend in the last 2 decades)

Question 2

How much did ocean and the biosphere take up of co2 from the atmosphere 2011-2020?

Answer 2

Ocean: 10 GtCO2/yr
Biosphere: 11 GtCO2/yr

Question 3

What is the net land use emissions difference?

Answer 3

Co2 emitted from deforestation and Co2 removals from agricultural land abandonment

Question 4

What was the total global emissions in in 2020?

Answer 4

38 +- 3.1 GtCo2

Question 5

What is the estimated sources and sinks budget imbalance for 2011-2020?

Answer 5

3 % (-1.0 GtCo2/yr)

Question 6

True/false: sinks have continued to grow with increasing emissions

Answer 6

True, but climate change will affect the carbon cycle processes in a way that will exacerbate the increase of co2 in the atmosphere.

Question 7

How much was the land carbon sink for 2011-2020?

Answer 7

11.2 +- 2.2 GtCo2/yr
10.7 +- GtCo2/yr in 2020

Question 8

The climate effect is largest where?

Answer 8

In tropical and semi-arid land ecosystems
2011-2020: climate change reduced the land sink by 15 % and ocean by 5 %

Question 9

What is sequestration potential?

Answer 9

The quantity of greenhouse gases that can be removed from the atmosphere by anthropogenic enhancement of sinks and stored in a pool

Question 10

How much did the AFOLU activities account for in terms of GHG emissions 2010-2019?

Answer 10

13 - 21 %
Terrestrial ecosystems absorbed 30 % of anthropogenic GHG emissions

Question 11

Why does methane emissions continue to increase?

Answer 11

Due to ruminant animals (increase of ethane emissions at 4.2 +- 1.3 GtCO2 yr)
Methane increase dominated by agriculture (manure application, nitrogen deposition, nitrogen fertiliser use) 1.8 +- 1.1 GTCO2 yr)

Question 12

How much can the AFOLU sector offer in terms of near-term mitigation potential?

Answer 12

20 - 30 % for 1.5-2C pathway towards 2050

Question 13

2020-50 : Protection and conservation has potential to reduce emissions by:
2020 - 50: Improved agricultural practices has potential to mitigate:
2020 - 50: Demand side measures has a mitigation potential of:

Answer 13

7.3 GtCo2 p.a
4.1 GtCo2 p.a
2.2 GtCo2 p.a

Question 14

How much can land stewardship contribute to keeping global temperature increases below 2C?

Answer 14

37 % of required mitigation by 2030 with a mitigation potential of 23.8 PgCo2 - yr
Using natural climate solutions.

Question 15

How much is forests, grasslands agriculture, and wetlands mitigation potential in 2030?

Answer 15

66 %
20 %
14 %

Question 16

How much does agriculture account for Australia’s GHG emissions?

Answer 16

14 %
- 56 % methane

(in the world, accounts for 20 % of GHG emissions - cut 50 % of world emissions to prevent 0.3 rise in temperature AND inexpensive)

• 73 % nitrous oxide emissions

Question 17

Within 30 years, soil organic carbon sequestration rates will have declined by how much?

Answer 17

45 - 133 %
Due to ability to retain carbon will be diminished (maximum 5 % organic carbon) + increased respiration

Question 18

How much do global forests store in living biomass? How much since 1870 of emissions is from deforestation and degradation?

Answer 18

300 PgC
26 %
Highest in tropics at 10-40 %

Question 19

___lands can continue to sequester carbon for centuries

What is the phenomenon when vegetation reachs maturity or carbon saturation?

Answer 19

Peat - waterlogged conditions prevent plant material from fully decomposing

The annual removal of CO2 from the atmosphere declines towards 0 while carbon stocks maintain

Question 20

CDR: What is a low / high maturity option? A low / high potential option? What is a low / high cost option?

Answer 20

MATURITY: L = Ocean Alkalinisation
H = Reforestation

POTENTIAL: L = Blue Carbon
H = Agroforestry

COST: L = Soil Carbon sequestration
H = Direct Air Capture

Question 21

How much does methane accoutn for global GHG emissions?

What sectors account for methane emissions and by how much in %?

Answer 21

30 % (cutting 50% would prevent 0.3 rise in temperature)

35 % : mining
40 % : agriculture

Question 22

What has the highest MODERN renewable energy generation by source?
What has the highest energy generation in the world?

Answer 22

Hydropower

Solar energy:
- AUS at 33.6 % 10 year average growth in generation followed by Wind at 15 %

Question 23

AUS: What renewable source has the highest electricity generation?

Answer 23

Bioenergy (70,000 GW/hr)

Question 24

AUS: What state is leading in renewable energy penetration in 2021?

Answer 24

TAS: 99.9 %

Question 25

AUS: How much does Australia’s electricity generation come from renewable sources? What is the leading source by source?

Answer 25

32.5 % in 2021 (39 % in 2023)
Wind: 35.9 % of renewable generation

Question 26

What is the cheapest form of electricity?

Answer 26

Solar Photovoltaic
Because it generates electricity when needed most and at point of demand instead of superfluous

Question 27

AUS: How much (in hours) do solar thermal plants have in energy storage?

Answer 27

3 - 15 hrs

Question 28

AUS: How much does solar PV generate of Australia’s electricity in 2020-21?

Answer 28

10 % - fastest growing electricity generation type
30 % of Australian households have rooftop solar PV
Cheapest means of electricity
> 11 Gw capacity

Question 29

What region is has highest wind and hydropower energy generation ?

Answer 29

Middle East

Question 30

What region has the best wind energy capacity?

Answer 30

Germany

Question 31

AUS: How much does wind energy meet in energy demand?

Answer 31

9 %
36 % of Australia’s clean energy
> 16 GW capacity
Cheapest source of large-scale renewable energy

Question 32

AUS: How much does hydropower energy meeting in energy demand?

Answer 32

6 % of Australia’s electricity generation
Dominant in TAS and SA (120 power stations)
23 % of Australia’s clean energy

Question 33

Why is geothermal not viable for Australia?

Answer 33

Geothermal areas are close to edges of continental plates. For NZ, as it sits on the Indo-Australian and pacific plates, has resulted in 20 % of energy supply

Question 34

When constrained by food security and environmental considerations, what is the recent estimates of mitigation potential that bioenergy has?

Answer 34

5 - 50 and 50 - 250 EJ/ yr by 2050

Question 35

What is green hydrogen? What is its value in Australia?

Answer 35

Uses an electrolyser to run electrical current through water to produce H2 and O.
Used to provide dispatchable power generations, as storage or as a distributed energy source

$163.2b

Question 36

What does nuclear energy provide?

Answer 36

Emits very little Co2 per unit of energy production but expensive to build large nuclear power stations.
Issues of nuclear proliferation and waste management do persist.

Question 37

How do battery storage technologies work?

Answer 37

Use of chemicals such as lithium-ion to absorb and release energy on demand
Coupled with renewable energy generation and you can store energy

Small scale: can be used residentially with PV systems
Large scale: act as generator connected to electricity transmission grid

Question 38

What does behind the meter mean?

In Australia, DER may contribute up to 45 of Australia’s electricity generation capacity by 2050.

Answer 38

Is a distributed energy resource.

A behind the meter battery sits on a customer’s property and is not integrated into the electricity network.

Moves away from centralised power stations

Question 39

In 2021, how much did costs fall by amid fossil fuel crisis?

Answer 39

15 % onshore wind
13 % solar photovoltaics and offshore wind

9.1 % increase in renewable capacity in the World

Question 40

In 2021, / renewable power installed had lower costs than the cheapest fossil fuel fired option.

Answer 40

2 / 3

Question 41

2020 - 2021 was a shift in the balance of competitiveness between renewable and fossil fuels with how much of a decrease in cost of electricity?

Answer 41

88 % for PV
68 % for Onshore wind and Thermal Power
60 % for Offshore wind