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INDS 1373

Syllabus

Calendar

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

 

Class will not meet Wednesday due to weather; we will continue with Urban Sprawl next Monday. Enjoy the day off!

Week 2

Monday, 1/26: Carbon footprint; Regional demographic forecast, environmental health

Questions on the Brundtland Report

Discuss articles/current events

Carbon footprint

Class carbon footprint (handout)

What are the major sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide?

  • Oceans: 90 Gt/yr. [(Gt) 1 gigatonne = 1x1012 kilograms]. This carbon comes mainly from respiration and decomposition of organic material in the ocean.
  • Land: 107 Gt/yr. Of this, 100 Gt comes from land and soil-based respiration and decomposition. The other 7 Gt comes from the burning of fossil fuels (5 Gt) and deforestation (2 Gt)
  • Source: Atmospheric Radiation Measurement, education.arm.gov/studyhall/globalwarming/expertsources.stm

Although carbon dioxide may be the "greenhouse gas" that gets the most press, others may have far worse consequences.

Methane -

  • Natural sources of methane include wetlands, gas hydrates, permafrost, termites, oceans, freshwater bodies, non-wetland soils, and other sources such as wildfires.
  • About 60 percent of global methane emissions stem from human activity—aside from landfills, the chief anthropogenic culprits are natural gas production and use, coal mines, and "enteric fermentation"
  • Methane is 21 times stronger as a greenhouse gas than CO2 (Global Warming Potential 21), but has an atmospheric lifetime of 12 years compared to 50-200 for CO2

Nitrous Oxide

  • Major anthropogenic source is agricultural fertilizer
  • GWP 310
  • Atmospheric lifetime 120 years
  • Nitrous oxide is not stored in significant amounts through natural processes or actively taken out of the atmosphere.

Sulfur Hexafluoride

  • A "halocarbon" compound
  • Used in industrial processes such as etching semiconductor wafers
  • GWP 23,900
  • Atmospheric lifetime 3,200 years
  • Halocarbons are not stored in significant amounts through natural processes or actively taken out of the atmosphere.

Sources:

Regional demographic forecast

The North Texas region is on pace to double in population – to approximately 8 million – by 2030 and the impact of that growth will be significant.

  • Jobs will grow from 3 to 4.9 million.
  • Traffic congestion will slow average freeway speeds from 43 mph to 27 mph.
  • Time lost in traffic delays will increase from 1 million to 5.1 million hours annually.
  • Source: Dallas Area Rapid Transit, www.dart.org/about/expansion/2030plan.asp

North Central Texas Council of Governments 2030 Demographic Forecast, www.nctcog.org/ris/demographics/forecast.asp

  • Report in PDF format, www.nctcog.org/ris/demographics/forecast/publication.pdf
  • Demographic Forecast Query Interactive map, www.nctcog.org/ris/demographics/forecast/query.asp
  • NCTCOG covers a 10- county area
  • North Central Texas estimated 2030 population: 9.1 million persons; 3.4 million households; nonconstruction employment of 5.4 million jobs.
  • "These projections represent 30-year increases of 4.0 million residents, 1.5 million households, and 2.3 million jobs. The rate of growth projected through the three decades represented in this forecast is at a magnitude never before experienced in the North Central Texas region."
  • "Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, and Rockwall counties are each expected to more
    than triple their 2000 household totals by the year 2030, with Wise County more than doubling
    over this same period."

Questions:

Assignment:

  • Read article “Creating Healthy Communities, Healthy Homes, Healthy People…”

Wednesday, 1/28

Class cancelled due to weather. Enjoy!


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