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Craig told you the good news: Climate change is only one of the issues

Craig told you the good news: Climate change is only one of the issues. Sally Brown. I went to the IUSS meeting in Brisbane, Australia this August and heard some really moving presentations. I’m going to show some of the images from the talk that made the biggest impression.

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Craig told you the good news: Climate change is only one of the issues

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  1. Craig told you the good news:Climate change is only one of the issues Sally Brown

  2. I went to the IUSS meeting in Brisbane, Australia this August and heard some really moving presentations. • I’m going to show some of the images from the talk that made the biggest impression

  3. The AnthropoceneEraNew geological era brought on by impact of humans on earthprocesses Next 6 slides Will Steffen, Executive Director Australian National University Climate Change Institute

  4. Geologicaltime-scale doesn’t register the Tea Party Great European civilisations: Greek, Roman Migrations of fully modern humans from South Asia to Europe First migration of fully modern humans out of Africa Aborigines arrive in Australia Beginning of agriculture Source: GRIP ice core data (Greenland) And S. Oppenheimer, ”Out of Eden”, 2004

  5. Another way to look at Geological timeAnd this is a log scale picture

  6. Anthropocene Stage 2 (1945 - 2010/2020) The changing ’human enterprise’, from 1750 to 2000. Note the start of the ’Great Acceleration’ around 1950, when many activities began or accelerated sharply. From Steffen et al. 2004

  7. Responses of the biophysical Earth System to the accelerating ’human enterprise’. The biophysical responses of the Earth System show many of the same features as the Great Acceleration in the human enterprise. From: Steffen et al. 2004

  8. Estimate of quantitative evolution of control variables for seven planetary boundaries from pre-industrial levels to the present . The inner (green) shaded nonagon represents the safe operating space with proposed boundary levels at its outer contour. The extent of the wedges for each boundary shows the estimate of current position of the control variable. Points show the estimated time trajectory of each control variable from pre-industrial to the present.

  9. In addition to Dr. Steffen’s talk, I heard other talks about issues that we are facing in the upcoming decades. • Exhausting world P reserves • Food shortages • Potable water shortages • Depleted soils Were some of the big ones

  10. For all of this:The real problem

  11. The real solution

  12. Population growth is expected to start decreasing- but this will take generations

  13. In the interim we will have to deal with: • Water shortages • Dramatic changes in weather patterns • Need to identify green energy sourcesdepleted soils • Increased urbanization • Increased demand for agricultural production

  14. The answers to these problems • Will need to be multiple and varied • No silver bullet- aside from massive/rapid population loss which we really don’t want

  15. So how do you fit in? • In an era of plentiful resources- WWTP primary mission to make disease free water regardless of energy required • In the ‘Anthropocene’- time for a new perspective

  16. Look at • The different parts of Wastewater treatment • How they fit in to a solution to the ‘Anthropocene’

  17. Anaerobic Digestion • Vector attraction reduction • VS destruction • Pathogen destruction Oh, and by the way, you can capture the methane….

  18. Can be energy factory(oh and by the way you kill pathogens) • WWTPs are the single largest user of electricity for a municipality • Anaerobic digestion of standard influent can supply ≈ 50% of electric demand • Co-digestion can supply ≥ 100% of demand and be net source of power

  19. Waco, TX

  20. You can be a reliable, regulated water source

  21. And then you have the biosolids

  22. With the biosolids you have • Fertilizer • 2-7% N, 1-3% P, and all other required nutrients for plant growth • N is available in a slow release form • N and P availability from biosolids has been extensively studied • And our results are showing that N2O release is not an issue in some cases and can be reduced in others

  23. With the biosolids you have • Carbon for soils • Research by Kate Kurtz and Andrew Trlica (and others) have shown persistence of biosolids added carbon to soils • Terrestrial carbon sequestration is one of the best options we have • Added benefit- • Adding carbon to soils improves soil water holding capacity

  24. Biosolids Chelan, WA • 17 Mg of C per hectare • 0.44 Mg C per Mg biosolids

  25. Boulder ParkGrain yield 1996-2008- Cogger

  26. Wastewater treatment • Is already and can be an even more effective part of the solution • So please, don’t let anyone convince you that you are part of the problem

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